By the way, this is not from the Blackwell or Open Court Popular philosophy series. I think that Viagra and Philosophy is a serious philosophical subject. It's a more relevant and has more philosophical depth than, for example, typical analytical topics like "is intentionality emergent or is emergency intentional?" Try to think about that if your brains are not already too corroded through repetetive and formal exercises.
The editor of The Philosophy of Viagra
I could not have composed a more foolish reply if I wanted to. First, I never claimed that the volume was in either of the Pop Culture series, and as far as I can tell, no one in the comments did either. So the author of the comment should learn to read. But more importantly, the author of the comment asserts that "I think that Viagra and Philosophy is a serious philosophical subject" (we know!) and then says nothing about why it is-- all that's on offer is a comparison with "typical analytic topics" (more on that below). The purported argument is this: (1) Spiros claims that the topic of my edited volume is dumb. (2) But typical analytic topics are dumber. (3) Therefore, the topic of my volume is not dumb. QED! Save that one for the first page of 5th Grade Logic for Dummies. [Special note to comment author (read slowly, move you mouth if it helps): That you can cook up a topic that is dumber than the topic of your book does not entail that your book is not dumb. (Hint: they both may be dumb!)]
But seriously, I don't work on intentionality or any related issue, but I'd be hard pressed to name a single analytic philosopher who would characterize his or her research as being aimed at answering the question "Is intentionality emergent or is emergency intentional?" Yet the comment's author claims this is a "typical analytical topic." I confess to have never seen "emergency" used in this context (rather than "emergence"), so I strongly suspect that the comment author is simply ignorant. Could someone-- the author of the original comment, preferably-- please name an analytic philosopher who works on precisely this purportedly popular question?
24 comments:
to be generous, he might have meant two separate subjects.
"...is emergency intentional?"
Like arson?
"Is intentionality emergent or is emergency intentional?"
You're taking this literally, when it's obviously a joke at our expense. Usually you have a better ear for subtlety, my friend!
Anon 7:16,
If we take the author of the comment to not be proposing a topic he or she actually thinks is "typical," then the post is even stupider. To wit:
(1) Spiros says my book is dumb, (2) But I can make up stuff that's dumber, (3) Therefore, my book isn't dumb.
I was just being charitable.
More evidence that American continental philosophers spend too much time and energy hating (while remaining - always already - ignorant of) analytic philosophy.
It's not just that the content of the putative topic is bogus, its chiastic form seems distinctively un-analytic (and decidedly PoMo: the theory of irony and the irony of theory, etc.).
I can't think of a string of posts I've enjoyed as much as filmphil's. Inspired!
Spiros, Part of your own attack on this book was based on the allegation that this sort of stuff is offered as an improvement on regular academic philosophy, an allegation you supported by quoting promotional copy from Blackwell's Philosophy and Pop Culture series (which I believe you misinterpreted). That certainly created the impression the present volume was in that series, so it was perfectly reasonable for someone to clarify.
Viagra is used by some people as an "enhancement" drug (like steroids are used by athletes) and a fair number of people in applied ethics are writing about various types of enhancements. So this volume could conceivably have interesting content, as most of the "philosophy and X" books do. I think you've jumped to conclusions about the book as well as the motives and credentials of the contributors.
Anon 4:21:
I have no idea what impression my comments left with those who can't read carefully. But you're simply wrong to say that the point about the phil & pop culture series being offered as superior to academic phil was directed at the viagra book. I think you're also wrong about how to interpret the promotional copy from Blackwell-- it might have been nice (more likely, funny) to hear an alternative reading.
And, since it obviously needs to be said explicitly, I've made no claim about whether there are philosophically interesting issues to be discussed about enhancement in general or even viagra in particular. Maybe there are. And, as I indicated earlier, maybe this volume will contain interesting work. But there are good reasons to doubt it.
The reason why I doubt it is that philosophers doing good work on enhancement have plenty of opportunity for publishing their work in properly peer-reviewed venues of real scholarship, where their work will be read by other scholars working on similar issues in philosophy and related disciplines. The proposed volume (like the pop culture and phil books) does not employ a proper review process, so it's audience will be limited to the contributors, some of their friends, and maybe their mothers. More importantly, the suggestions for paper topics suggests that the editor is especially interested in the most idiotic and least philosophically interesting kind of navel-gazing.
Glaucon,
I'm convinced that the filmphil contributions are a brilliant joke. It's really too much to be sincere-- three posts of increasing length becoming increasingly idiotic. Too much like a non-continentalist caricature of continenal philosophy, right?
While you all are fussing about who meant what, I am cringing because I have a colleague - quite capable of serious work - who seems to be making a career of publishing in these ... venues. I can only hope that I will not learn that this person has a contribution to this volume.
Look, do I think one could do some useful work to promote philosophy among bored undergraduates by addressing and informing them about philosophical themes [memes] in The Matrix? Sure. But, Dear Goddess, must we go down to the 'viagrification' of culture?
"The proposed volume (like the pop culture and phil books) does not employ a proper review process, so it's audience will be limited to the contributors, some of their friends, and maybe their mothers"
No peer review implies the volume will probably not be of interest to professional philosophers. It doesn't imply it will have a mini-audience. In fact, these books have huge sales. To be be precise, one of the forthcoming books of this type already has orders from major booksellers in the tens of thousands. Some of the readers will grow up and take philosophy classes, maybe even supporting the likes of Anonymous Philosopher. This just can't be anything to sneer at.
Anon 10:41:
Let's be a little more precise about the term 'audience'. I know that these books sell. I also know that, especially in the PC&P series, many of the sales go to people who don't read the book, but simply add it to a collection of plastic-wrapped memorabilia, along with action figures, drinking glasses, playing cards, and other themed merch.
If by 'audience' we mean 'sales', then you're right; but if by 'audience' we mean something more like 'readership', then I don't think so. And if by some odd chance someone comes to one of my classes via one of these books, I'll have to spend extra effort to disabuse that student of the false picture of what philosophy is that h/she adopted as a result of being exposed to pop philosophy.
Still sneering.
Spiros,
You're probably right, which is disappointing, since I was enjoying the thought that philosophy is like the Mafia, but more corrupt. Getting tenured = being made, department chairs are capos, the Eastern Division is a meeting of the five families, etc. Leave the gun, take the modus tollens.
Glaucon,
Genius!
"Still sneering."
That's what makes this blog so charming.
I do wonder if anyone reads these books, or they are novelty items. As in, "X and Philosophy"... isn't that funny!
Anon at 1:09:
A conjecture: The books are bought by the mothers of 30 year-old men who still live at home. The mothers buy them as presents for their sons because the books allow them (both the mothers and the sons) to sustain the illusion that being intensely interested in, e.g., The Transformers as an adult is a symptom of high intelligence, and not constitutive of being a total loser.
Noooo...tell me it isn't true! My article in a forthcoming book like this is smart, deep, funny, and well-written. Hopefully it will be read by thousands of clever, hip people and I will become rich and famous. At that point I will come back here and laugh at your theories.
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