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. these mean something to us that dience to other specialists. as a current expense and not as “As a philosopher, I try to look they can’t mean to anyone else, “But that makes it very diffi - an investment for the future. But at things with different eyes and and their value consists exactly cult for philosophers to turn to without a thriving school and uni - from different points of view; as in their difference from every - the larger questions that at - versity environment, none of the an educator, I must involve my - thing and everyone else in the tracted them to philosophy in the cultural changes the country self in teaching, lecturing, and world. I believe we need to think first place. In addition, the re - is the common good. Every pro - related to the material they need needs can possibly be imple - writing. I must try to do all that, about such values much more se - quirements of an academic ca - fessional and political group be - to know in order to take the na - mented. Unless we realize that and help maintain and improve riously than we have done be - reer encourage work that aims lieves that it has been treated un - tional examinations that deter - education itself has to be thought the structure and goals of my in - fore, and much of my philosoph - to produce concrete results that justly and, unconcerned with mine the university and the de - of as a long-term issue, not to be stitution, while avoiding the ical work aims at articulating can be evaluated clearly and on what would help Greece itself, partment they will be assigned settled by measures that don’t great danger of spreading myself their role in life. the basis of common standards. acts unilaterally on behalf of its to. That has made it necessary even qualify as Band-Aids, we will too thin and being satisfied with Marcel Proust said “we are But that is difficult to do when own, and only its own, interests. for Greek students to prepare for never engage in the long-range superficialities. That is the great able to find everything in our issues of public significance are “As a philosopher, I have rel - these examinations in addition planning that is necessary if we difficulty here.” memory, which is like a dispen - involved: here we don’t have atively little to say about eco - to their regular schoolwork. So, are ever going to emerge from sary or chemical laboratory in ‘hard’ results, we have instead nomics or politics. But I do think children of wealthy families usu - this crisis capable of taking the ON SOCRATES which chance steers our hand attitudes, approaches, pictures, that the only path that can bring ally have private lessons and the future in our own hands instead It is really very interesting the sometimes to a soothing drug ways of seeing the world, plans, us to where we should be, as in - children of the not-so-wealthy at - of relying on the resources of oth - way Nehamas evaluates and sometimes to a dangerous and dreams, all connected with dividuals and as a country, is a tend a private institute, an after- ers, willing to commit ourselves Socrates’ place in the Western poison.” Nehamas believes that one another. And if you value radical cultural change: a shift hours parallel school that pre - to doing better than our ancestors philosophical tradition and the the same can happen also with being right above all else, you from a culture of individual ad - pares them for the examinations. instead of using them to avoid importance of Socrates for con - literature. “It is never clear where will stay away from such things: vantage to a commitment to the You can imagine the intellectual our own responsibilities, and ded - temporary writers. According to an interaction with literature, or you will choose to think about good of Greek society as a whole. pressure these students are un - icated to a better future for the Nehamas, “Socrates is, of course, any art form, will lead. We like less complex issues that, because A shift from an exclusive concern der and the financial pressure country as a whole and not only by and large Plato’s incredibly to think that reading books, look - they are not connected to much with the short term and a will - their parents must face. And all for ourselves and our own.” lifelike creation – we know very little about the historical person. But the Socrates Plato has given us is without doubt one of the Excerpt from Meno has always been considered one of the least gifted and most fascinating and mysterious cooperative characters in Plato’s dialogues. Commentators have figures in the western philosoph - disdained him generally, but their greatest disdain is reserved for the ical tradition. And he is fascinat - “Meno’s Paradox argument he introduces to the effct that all learning is impossible… ing exactly because he is myste - rious: he believes that only if you Shorey, who had no patients for the view expressed in the paradox know what the right way to live and Socrates as itself, refereed to it disparagingly as “this eristic and lazy argument” is will you live well and be happy. Taylor neither liked the argument nor Meno’s reasons for bringing in He also believes that he doesn’t a Teacher” up: “Meno,” he wrote, “again tries to run off on an irrelevant issue. himself know the right way to live; and he believes that those He brings up the sophistic puzzle.” who do know what the good life from Nehamas’ is can explain it to him and en - Kelin thought of the negative influence of the paradox on all desire able him to live well. So, he is Essays on to learn anything new and wrote that Meno himself “was constantly asking people who conspicuously reluctant to make the effort Socrates requested of think they know the good life to tell him what it is. Unfortunately, Plato and him. It seems that his behavior throughout the conversation was in it always turns out they only agreement with the consequence that flows from the argument he think they know: in reality, they has just presented.” are ignorant. That, Socrates says, Socrates makes him wises that they are: at least, he knows that he igno - Bernard Phillips, who with many other writers takes rant while they don’t even know the argument itself quite seriously, nevertheless that. And here is the mystery: al - insists that for Meno personally, “it is though, as he says, he doesn’t merely a dodge.” know the right way to live, Socrates always does the right thing anyway, and seems to be Even Bluck, who is slightly more as good and happy as anyone sympathetic to Meno than other has ever been. “How is that pos - writers are, cannot approve of him in sible? What makes a life good? this instance: “So far as Meno is What makes Socrates possible? Did he after all have the knowl - concerned, this question may be edge he thought he didn’t? What regarded as a convenient dodge, an eristic trick; but inspired him to be as he was? for Plato, it had important philosophical implications.” That is the mystery Plato has be - queathed us and, despite our many efforts to resolve it, it re - mains as intractable today as it was for Socrates’ own contem - poraries.”