New kids on the block

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

Via Michael Green (17 June 2005; Green doesn't permalink), I notice that a number of Chicago folks started to blog philosophical. Eric Schliesser is doing movie blogging at Nesciocinema; a few others have taken up a home at Original Positions, a name that I wholeheartedly approve of.

And though Original Positions I found this charming Guardian article calling the BBC "Favorite Philosopher" poll for Immanuel Kant.

No, the problem with In Our Time's vote is not the concept of a poll as such, but the pointlessness of this one. The reason is simple: there is such a wide consensus over who is the greatest philosopher that it is hardly worth asking the question. True, a case can be made for the giants of ancient Greece, Aristotle and Plato, not least because of their vital role as the founders of philosophy. But on every other measure the undefeated heavyweight philosophy champion of the world is Immanuel Kant. Few professional philosophers would seriously quibble with Kant's number one status - although being philosophers, no doubt several would, especially Britain's collection of David Hume fans.

One could argue that the poll doesn't ask readers to list the most important, insightful or influential philosopher—it doesn't track philosophical merit—but rather who their favorite is.

The choice of Kant is obvious today, especially now that the acclain for his moral philosophy has risen to the previous renown of his epistemology. And I won?t bite my tongue about this: we have John Rawls to thank for that. But except for a few brave or foolhardy souls out there, I don't think that many people would think of the saddler's son from Köningsberg as an easy or even enjoyable read. Many will be drawn to Russell's witticisms, Nietzsche's provocations, Mill's clarity. Others will cast a nostalgic vote for antiquity (plato) or cloak themselves in Continental obscurity (Heidegger).

Manelchen Kant, of course, is without a doubt the best of them all. But there's no need to shed tears if he loses, or tear our clothes and despair about the death of the transcendental ideal. The "contest" is a pageant, not a struggle for Truth.