Robbins Library Notes

While browsing through Bookforum.com this morning, I came across a link to an article in The Philosophers’ Magazine written by Brian Leiter.  In “The State of the Vocation,” Leiter offers his view on where philosophy is at the moment, and the benefits and downsides of the professionalization of the discipline.

After a few readings of this article, I’m not sure where I stand on it.  I agree largely with Leiter’s observations on where the field is, at the moment, and on the professionalization of philosophy, but not completely.

Update: After a few hours of thinking about this article, I sense where some of my ambivalence may lie.  As I see it, there’s something about the confining of philosophy within the narrow walls of professional academia that leads to easily to pedantry, overspecialization, lack of interdisciplinary dialogue, and sycophants merely repeating and following whatever the “acceptable” problems and the means of addressing these problems happen to be.  I think what I’m trying to say is that I am less sanguine about the benefits of professionalization than Professor Leiter is.

However, let it be noted that Leiter himself is not blind to the downsides of professionalization in this article.  I think where we might part company is the degree to which we admit the downsides, not that the downsides exist.  And there are benefits to specialization, to be sure, many of which Leiter notes.

What do you think of Leiter’s account, readers?