So a couple of readers asked what I submitted to Steve Pyke, so here it is:
Philosophy at its best aims for a general explanatory and naturalistic account of human beings, their actions and values. It draws freely and synoptically on all successful domains and methods of inquiry, empirical or otherwise. Such a conception of philosophy—which I associate most strongly with Hume, Marx and Nietzsche—stands firmly opposed to the conservative and moralizing tendency of too much philosophy, contemporary and historical, which aims to rationalize or vindicate common prejudices (moral, religious and otherwise).
Obviously, I don't offer this as a decription of everything that has been called philosophy, but it does capture a kind of philosophical work that is, to my mind, most interesting. Perhaps posting this here will also explain why I find it so puzzling when folks think the PGR (which is about the sociology of the profession and trying to help students) reflects my own views or when they try to cabin me off as doing so-called "analytic" philosophy. The sociological phenomenon known as "analytic" philosophy has lots of general intellectual virtues associated with it, but it only occasionally exemplifies "philosophy at its best."
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