Just been checking up on the (younger) philosophers. Very interesting,
indeed. It appears the split between continental and analytic is now a
thing of the past and some interesting new schools (popular usage)
appear to be in formation. Also connections made with Aust Cultural
Studies. (I note a a swing toward phil of science, as well, so I guess
the Australians are going to have to carry the flag for phil of
culture.)
Poetry and art is far more fun (that goes without saying) but one could
be tempted to jump into the fray. The thread that seems to connect these
various philosophers would be named Deleuze. Now, what is to be made of
the new meaning Foucault has attached to epistemology? No matter, Hegel
would already call this World Historic and I place my hand on top of
Hegel, The Philosophy of History, as I say so. (Now, I really do feel
old school.) Looking back over the history of philosophy it is not until
you come to Hegel and prior, to Kant, that something on this scale of
importance and interest has happened before. You certainly don't expect
to see something like this unfolding in your lifetime. It seems like
only yesterday that to claim that Deleuze is a philosopher meant looking
for a new teaching post beyond the sandstone quadrangle, and I will
admit I still have doubts that the seminars on Deleuze I attended as an
undergrad are really considered real philosophy, but it appears these
days have long gone. (Shit! I really do have phil degrees! Oh well,
accidents do happen.)
As for old school, that really struck home a couple of years ago when a
son of one of my cousins had transferred to the same degree and majors I
did, except it is now called Cultural Studies instead of Philosophy of
Culture and he is doing a prose writing major. (A poetry major don't
look good on your resume, so he told me, and one poet in the family is
more then enough.) When I began counting back the years it hit rather
hard that I was counting decades since I was an undergrad or grad
student and there was a nodding awareness on my cousin's face that this
was some time ago, also.
Anyway, it seemed like yesterday, Chris Jones.
(PS. It may not be well known that Deleuze relies heavily on some of the
key thinkers of analytic philosophy but Alfred North Whitehead is all I
need say.)
|