Harry at Crooked Timber discusses some new NEH grants for academics who develop classes on “enduring questions.” Except people aren’t happy:
That said, most of their examples are questions that philosopher tackle every day, and are already covered and discussed in great detail in undergraduate courses in Philosophy in every University that has a philosophy department. Here’s the full list:
* What is the good life?
* What is justice? Mercy?
* What is freedom? Happiness?
* What is friendship?
* What is dignity?
* Is there a human nature, and, if so, what is it?
* What are the limits of scientific understanding?
* What is the relationship between humans and the natural world?
* Is there such a thing as right and wrong? Good and evil?
* What is good government?
* What are the origins of the modern world?
* What is liberal education?
He then goes on to describe the tizzy over this. “Anti-intellectualism!” someone yells. (Anti-intellectualism seems to have been redefined as a policy of repression against people who aren’t really intellectuals in favor of people who are.) Harry sees a way out, though:
So my suggestion to people in other departments is that if you are considering going for one of these grants, do not just develop it from scratch, but find someone in your philosophy department who can help you write up the grant and develop the course. My suggestion to philosophers is to talk to your friends in other departments and see if they are willing to collaborate with you on developing such a course.
I just wanted to propose that the reason the grant seems to be making an end-run around “real” philosophers might be because they are, as a whole, about the most useless and irrelevant group imaginable. I would rather discuss the “enduring questions” with an elevator repairman, an elephant trainer, or a chimp tethered to an organ grinder than with anyone in any philosophy department I’ve ever encountered.
If, however, the NEH were to come up with a grant calling for classes designed to suck the life out of interesting and vital issues, couch them in obscure and ponderous word-salad, and do it all with an air of smug elitism, then the faculty of the philosophy department should be the first people they call.