Academia or Blogging?

I have just finished a terminal MA program in philosophy from a top-ranked program (GSU). Over the next few months, I will have to seriously consider what I should do next. In order to teach philosophy full-time—which is what I think I’d like to do for a living—I would have to first get into a good PhD program. My first two attempts at applying to PhD programs were unsuccessful, and as Steve Stich once told me, “That is the easy part”. To complete the PhD program, I would then have to spend at least five years taking courses, teaching, and writing a 100-page dissertation. Upon completion, I would have to apply to dozens (if not hundreds) of jobs across the country with a fair chance of not being hired. Best case scenario (which is pretty unlikely): I get into a top 30 PhD program, complete it in five years and then get a full-time teaching job. Even then, in order to advance in the field, I would have to publish quite regularly. Publishing in peer reviewed journals is like applying to graduate school all over again, except you are competing with hundreds of other people with PhDs (most philosophy journals reject at least 90% of the submissions). Making it as an academic philosopher is no easy task. 

For the past four years, I have been able to hand pick courses that most interested me, studying a wide range of topics; from the foundations of quantum mechanics to the evolution of the brain. Studying philosophy has led me to become a better writer, sharper thinker, and more aware of who I am. It has supplied me with the intellectual tools to deconstruct complex arguments, to spot the relevant passages in a lengthy text, and to research complicated issues effectively. If I decide to retreat from the pathway into academia, I would not lose anything. 

Outside of academia, I believe there is much philosophical work to be done. For one, when it comes to the field of philosophy, effective communication with the general public and with professional scientists has been lacking. Most people know perfectly well what science is, but are deeply confused about the nature of philosophy. Science popularizers, such as, Bill Nye, Lawrence Krauss, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, have all inadvertently contributed to such confusions. All while assuming that philosophy is just a waste of time or a thing of a past, such scientists tacitly defend philosophical views with little to no argument. For example, Lawrence Krauss seems to endorse utilitarianism (the ethical theory which prescribes the greatest good for the greatest many), but rolls his eyes when philosophers try and point out to him that it's a philosophical position (1). There is a reason why philosophers come up with names for philosophical views. Not only does it make philosophical discussion easier; it allows certain logical problems or puzzles for such views to become apparent. One job of the philosopher is to develop and defend more nuanced views that aim to address such problems. (If only there were philosophical views in accord with common sense that had no problems with them!)

Everyone—including scientists—holds philosophical views, whether they like it or not. We all have views about God, morality, free will, the extent of our knowledge, and the nature of reality. Doing philosophy allows one to realize the menu of theoretical possibilities regarding such issues. It also allows one to figure out which option is most compatible with one's own intuitions and beliefs. A further relevant question is then, ‘What reason do we have to accept the philosophical views that we hold?’ Philosophical views need to be argued for, even if they seem to be common sense or obviously correct.

While I have studied a wide range of views across a large number of topics, I do not have many firm beliefs. The existence of this blog is in part a remedy to my fence-sitting. In the blog posts that follow, I will closely examine philosophical issues and try to lay some of my cards down on the table (2). In trying to defend some position, I believe that I will become more aware of what I really think about the topic. At the same time, I hope to clear up some common confusions regarding philosophy and aim to show why it’s extremely useful discipline. Perhaps after blogging for a while, I will get a good sense as to whether academic philosophy is the right move to make.

Works cited

            

(1) http://www.reasonablefaith.org/life-the-universe-and-nothing-has-science-buried-god

[ctrl F: "utilitarianism" for the relevant excerpts]

(2) http://philpapers.org/surveys/results.pl     

* I will often refer back to the views featured within this survey. Eventually, I plan to fill out the survey in its entirety, hopefully having an informed opinion about each of the issues.