"It's Hard to Do Philosophy in the U.S. Now, Isn't It?"
What's painfully obvious from the other side of the world
One night recently, I sat down at the restaurant “Sad Man’s Tongue” (perhaps the best burgers in Prague), and set up my electronic tablet on the table to read. The very friendly waitress who came to take my drink order asked me what I was reading. She seemed pleasantly surprised to see someone with something on their electronic device other than Tik Tok or Instagram.
“A book about the philosopher, Jacques Rancière,” I said, explaining that I was doing research for my new book.
“Nice,” she said. After we engaged in a brief discussion about Rancière’s philosophy, she asked, “You’re American, yes?”
I acknowledged that I was.
She sighed and said, “It’s hard to do philosophy in the U.S. now, isn’t it?”
I wasn’t expecting her comment but had to agree.
If Dialogue Isn’t Allowed . . .
I’m on record in criticizing academic philosophy, and academia in general, for not being as open-minded as they should be. I’ve been quite frank about Medium’s antipathy for philosophy. (They most likely will shadow ban this article, too)
