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Alexander Nehamas Τhe Art of Philosophy by a Real Philosopher

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Alexander Nehamas Τhe Art of Philosophy by a Real Philosopher 14 FEATURE THE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 19-25, 2016 Alexander Nehamas Τhe Art of Philosophy by a Real Philosopher Alexander Nehamas is one of Nehamas has published sev - that, in order to learn, mostly by the most accredited and notable eral books such as: Nietzsche : rote, what will get them into uni - philosophers in the United Life as literature (Harvard Uni - versity only to be forgotten as States. An Edmund N. Carpenter versity Press, 1985), which has soon as university actually starts. II Class of 1943 Professor in Hu - since become a classic, Virtues “And what happens once the manities, Professor of Philoso - of Authenticity: Essays on Plato students pass their examinations phy, and Professor of Compara - and Socrates (Princeton Univer - and enter a university? Have you tive Literature at Princeton sity Press, 1998), The Art of Liv - taken a look at the physical plant University. ing: Socratic Reflections from of our universities, the ram - Ever since he was little, he Plato to Foucault (University of shackle buildings, the broken or was fascinated by Ancient California Press, 1998) and Only stolen equipment, the garbage Greece: by its literature, its art, a Promise of Happiness: The strewn all over the campus, in its philosophy, and its politics, Place of Beauty in the World Art corridors and classrooms, the which formed the center of his ( Princeton University Press, constant strikes, the physical at - education. As he says, “the 2007). tacks on professors by various legacy of the ancients, though, political organizations, the ‘oc - crucial as it has been to our sense ON FRIENDSHIP cupations’ of buildings by groups of ourselves as individuals and His latest book "On Friend - of students and administrative as people, is a double-edged ship," is forthcoming from Basic workers, the constant stealing of sword. Naturally, it makes us Books in April 2016. The reason ballot-boxes in contested elec - proud. But pride is itself a dou - Nehamas has chosen to elabo - tions, the holding of faculty ble-edged sword. It makes it easy rate on this topic is because he hostage for hours on end and the to convince ourselves that we are thinks that in both philosophy destruction of the their offices? special not because of our own and public life people have taken “Just two years ago or so, the accomplishments but because of it that the only important values University of Athens was closed those of our ancestors. That can are the values of morality. As he for a whole semester by its ad - lead to complacency, a sense of contends, “morality depends on ministrative personnel with the entitlement to which we are not the assumption that all human ing at paintings, listening to mu - else, can be evaluated on their ingness to sacrifice immediate, support of the then-rector, stu - in fact entitled.” beings are in some basic respects sic makes us better people – and own and in relatively simple and often temporary gains, for dents were simply locked out of Prof. Nehamas is also a very the same and that this requires in some sense they do: but what terms. long-term prosperity. A sense their classes for over three busy administrator and he has treating everyone the same way, sense is that? I think it makes us “But another factor has also that we all have a common aim, months, and a whole semester published and lectured widely without special preference to na - more complex, more idiosyn - contributed to philosophy’s rela - which should prevent us from was lost! on topics spanning classical phi - tionality, gender, ethnic back - cratic, more unusual. tive isolation from the public: thinking of those who disagree “In 2009, a law that aimed at losophy, philosophy of art, liter - ground and age. Morality treats that is the 20th century’s ideal with us as traitors or anti-Hel - reforming the structure of our ary theory, friendship, popular people simply as people, and so - ON MORALITY of a ‘scientific” philosophy,’ lenic. higher education was adopted by culture, and television, and when ciety couldn’t exist without such “But does it make us more which, like much of our science, “My political engagement has an unprecedented majority of an understanding. But people are moral? Sometimes, perhaps. In aims to understand the world ob - been so far limited to efforts to Parliament in 2009. I became also different from one another, general, no. Well-read villains, jectively but not, or at least not reform the Greek higher-educa - closely involved with Greek and difference is often a reason sensitive outlaws, tasteful crimi - directly, to change it.” tion system, which, like every ed - higher education when I was for admiration. That is, we ad - nals, and elegant torturers are ucational stage, from kinder - elected to the Council of the Uni - mire people who have a distinc - everywhere about us. It is true ON THE GREEK CRISIS garten on, needs to be radically versity of Athens – such councils tive character, who stand out that literature makes it possible Nehamas’ opinion about the overhauled. The cultural changes were established by the 2009 law among their peers, who live their for us to see the world as others escalating political and economic I think are imperative for Greece and include both faculty an out - life in their own manner: When see it. But how we use that abil - turmoil in Greece is that is not can’t possibly be brought about side members who are responsi - we love someone we love them ity is another question: do we only political and economic, but unless our children are educated ble for overseeing the function - because no one else is like them, use it to help or hinder, to benefit also, and primarily, cultural. As into them.” ing of these institutions. because they can give (or take or harm, to liberate or to op - he says, “Greece is a Balkan Unfortunately, however, every from) us something that no one press? That is not something that country in two senses. First and ON GREEK EDUCATION government since then has literature, or any other art, can most obviously, of course, be - To the question if he thinks weakened the law, which is now tell us. Art does not often lead cause it belongs to the Balkan that the crisis has affected the in danger of being completely to morality. But we must remem - region. Second, though, and Greek education, Nehamas says eliminated. Instead, we are ber that the values of morality, most important, because it has it was in trouble “long before the headed for a return to the status important as they are, are not become internally Balkanized. crisis began, although the situa - quo established by the previous the only values there are in the There is no nationwide sense tion was made even worse by major education law, passed in world. Beauty, friendship, taste - that what really matters, espe - our current difficulties. To begin 1982 and, in my opinion, respon - fulness, loyalty, are values in cially during a crisis that could with, what students learn in high sible for most of the problems I their own right as well, even if have become a great opportunity, school is, incomprehensibly, un - outlined in the previous para - he is asked how hard it is to carry they sometimes conflict with our graph. on all of these different fields of moral sense. How to use the “We need a complete overhaul interest, he answers “someone greater sensitivity the arts give of our educational system from once characterized philosophy as us, how to put it to the right use? top to bottom but what is being study of how things, in the Well, that is, a philosophical done now seems headed in the broadest sense of the term, hang question.” wrong direction. Perhaps worse, together, in the broadest sense Nehamas also maintains that the financial situation of our uni - of the term. Philosophy is for me “contemporary philosophy, espe - versities is absolutely dismal: their the antithesis of specialization. cially in the United States, has budgets have been cut by as That was, and continues to be, by and large retreated from pub - much as 70% in the last few one of my main reasons for pur - lic life. That is in large part due years, and money even for ab - suing it. Although I realize that to its professionalization. It was solutely essential services, like se - specialization is often necessary else can. Art and friendship be - only in the 18th century that phi - curity and cleaning, is lacking. (and although it is sometimes, long to this domain. They de - losophy began to be counted as Salaries are at an extraordinary unfortunately, overemphasized pend on values that themselves an academic discipline. Profes - low point, able scholars and sci - in today’s universities), it is im - depend not, as in the moral case, sionalization brought specializa - entists are continuously leaving portant not to lose sight of the on our similarities but our dif - tion in its train. And specializa - for abroad, and the dedicated fact that philosophy is concerned ferences from one another. The tion makes it more and more staff that remains is fighting a los - with human life in all its aspects. art and the people we love, the difficult to communicate with ing fight against the further dis - And human life is too complex friends we keep close to us, the people who don’t share your spe - integration of the system. We to comprehend from one and things we find beautiful—all cific interests: it limits your au - have been looking at education only one point of view.
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