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Dear Friends of Wisdom,
From time to time, I have urged Friends of Wisdom to let us all know of developments or events that might be construed as steps towards wisdom-inquiry – that ideal kind of inquiry rationally
devoted to seeking and promoting wisdom. We might describe efforts we have ourselves engaged in – whether successful or not. Or we might describe developments we have heard of even though we are not personally involved.
I should practise what I preach. So here goes.
1.
On the 1st January 2014 I publish a book called “How Universities Can Help Create a Wiser World: The Urgent Need for an Academic Revolution” (Academic Imprint). The emphasis of the book is on spelling out in a lucid way what
the academic revolution would amount to and, above all, why it really would have dramatically beneficial consequences for the world. On the plus side, the book comes out straight away as a paperback priced at a mere £9-95 in the UK, so even students could
buy it. On the negative side, Academic Imprint is a small publisher, so the book may struggle to be reviewed, and its message may well be drowned out in the general clamour and cacophony of voices. I would of course be infinitely grateful for any help with
getting a bit of publicity for the book.
2.
Compass – a sane left wing pressure group in the UK – have just put online a short article by me called “How to Create a Better World: Bring about a Revolution in Universities” which concludes with a reference to my soon-to-be-published
book: see
http://www.compassonline.org.uk/how-to-create-a-better-world-bring-about-a-revolution-in-universities/ . My first effort to get a bit of publicity for the book.
3.
In the last week or so, a group of undergraduate economic students at Manchester University have been in the news in the UK. They have been protesting at the very narrow, city based, neoliberal economics education they have been getting,
and they have formed “The Post-Crash Economics Society”. I have suggested to them that they should join up with students doing other social sciences to try to change the nature of social inquiry quite generally, so that the primary emphasis is on problems
of living and how to solve them, rather than on improving knowledge of social phenomena.
4.
Via these economics students I learnt of an undergraduate initiative formed this summer called “rethinking economics” – which I have joined.
5.
At the University of Toronto on the 28th October there was a
‘”Wisdom Revolution” Reading Group Meetup’ – a student event, associated with the Toronto branch of “Friends of Wisdom”.
6.
I have been quite busy this year writing and publishing articles spelling out the case for transforming academia so that it takes up the task of seeking and promoting wisdom: see publications online below. Earlier this summer I told
the big philosophy emailing group [log in to unmask] about an article I had just finished called “What Philosophy Ought to Be” which begins:-
“Philosophy is unique. There is no other academic discipline that has laboured for so long under such a massive misconception as to what its basic task ought to be.”
(see UCL Discovery below)
I asked for reactions, and expected abuse, but got nothing but sympathetic responses. The
theme of the article is that philosophy should be about our fundamental, global problems but,
because of various historical blunders, has failed miserably in its task. Out of the discussion I
suggested, as a joke, that we should start up a group called “The Global Circle” (echoing
satirically “The Vienna Circle”). There was considerable enthusiasm for the idea, and it now
exists!
That’s quite enough for now!
All good wishes,
Nick
Website:
www.ucl.ac.uk/from-knowledge-to-wisdom
Publications online:
http://philpapers.org/profile/17092
http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/view/people/ANMAX22.date.html