Being a Philosopher: The History of a PracticeFirst Published in 2004. In a wider sense this book is a history of philosophy as an institution, not a set of beliefs. The author presents the view that it might indeed be argued that it is the institutionalization of philosophy that has worked to its disadvantage. Is it not the case that the two greatest philosophers in Britain this century—Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein— had at most a somewhat tangential relation with universities? May not real philosophical progress depend on a relative freedom from such an institutionalized framework? These are questions which are considered and this book tries to answer. |
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academic Anaxagoras Aquinas argument Aristotelian Society Aristotle Aristotle’s Athenian Athens attitudes baccalauréat became Berkeley Berlin Britain British Cambridge Cartesianism certainly chair College conception concerned contemporary context course critical death Descartes dialogues Diogenes Laertius doctrine dominant doubt eighteenth century England epistemology Essay eventually example existed extent Fichte France French Germany Greek Hegel Hegelian Heraclitus history of philosophy Hume Hume’s ideas influence institutions intellectual interest involved journal Kant Kierkegaard kind knowledge later lectures Leibniz Literae Humaniores Locke logic Lyceum Marx matter metaphysics mind Neoplatonic Nevertheless nineteenth century Ockham Oxford Paris Parmenides particularly perhaps period philosophy of mind Plato political practice of philosophy professionalism professor Protagoras psychology published question role Russell scepticism scholasticism Schopenhauer Scotland Scottish Scotus seventeenth Socrates Spinoza spite teachers teaching theology theory things thinking thought tradition university system views Wittgenstein writing wrote Young Hegelians