Midterm Blogpost

When asked by the MTSU Philosophy department to host and conduct an interview for the renowned Nigel Warburton, Kurt Andersen, and Julian Baggini, I was both excited and mildly petrified. What do you ask towards those who have seemingly unlocked many secrets of the universe, and WHERE do you go to ask them? Thankfully, I was given the perfect question and found a worthy place. Yates Cider Mill was the destination of choice because of several factors. 

I thought to myself, “Where do you take open thinkers to discuss open topics?” Well, where better than the open air, which I’m sure Aristotle would agree with. The great outdoors provides plenty of room for thoughts to flow freely. Plus, who doesn’t love apple cider and donuts during the fall? 

When everyone gathered there and had a cup of apple cider, I opened up the floor with:

There’s a lot of differing opinions and beliefs in the world around us. I mean, look around. It’s very probable that even in just this small sample of population surrounding us today, there could be numerous different belief systems sharing one cider mill. In just the four of us, two of you gentlemen could disagree. With this being said, I pose to you three a question: "Do you think philosophy can help people learn to respect truth, facts, reality, and one another, and to reject falsehood, superstition, selfishness, polarization, partisanship, and mutual hostility based on differences of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, belief, etc.? If so, how? If not, why not?

Nigel Warburton took the stage first, which I was very excited for considering his book is my personal favorite. (Although, I wouldn’t dare tell the other authors that). 

Warburton:  Thank you for your question. In short, yes, I believe philosophy is the groundwork for accessing knowledge by asking the uncomfortable questions. In my book I uncover many great philosophers’ processes and answers to these awkward endeavours, many built off the teachings of another such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Philosophy brings reasoning and value to abstract thoughts. It inspires a curiosity towards knowledge and a hunger for wisdom. Socrates himself spent years questioning the wiseness of others before settling down on his own definition of the term. “Wisdom for Socrates was not knowing a lot of facts, or knowing how to do something. It meant understanding the true nature of our existence, including the limits of what we can know” (LH 3). Philosophy can’t be dwindled down to just “thinking.” It goes much further than that.  “Philosophy, after all, thrives on debate. It thrives on people taking positions against each other and arguing, using logic and evidence” (LH 245). The power of conversation, especially when philosophy

is the topic on the table, is what gets our perspectives into question, and then logic, reasoning, and debate is how we take those views with us through the world.  

Andersen:  I don’t know if I can agree. Too often is philosophy substituted for things such as media. The bones of our country are built on fantasy and things we believe to be true just because the collective made it that way. At the very beginning of my book I thank Jean and Bob Andersen and the teachers of Omaha’s District 66 because they taught me to think instead of blindly believe. As I quote Demosthenes at the forefront of my book he says, “The easiest thing of all is to deceive oneself; for we believe whatever we want to believe.” Deciphering the line between reality and fantasy became extraordinarily blurred during the digital age. People use movies, TV shows, video games, and etc. to create their own version of reality, or make reality more exciting, but in the process they seem to forget the actual reality they’re a part of. “We stop registering the differences between stimulated and authentic, real and unreal” (Fantasyland 9). This creates falsehood of grandeur, being enveloped  in fiction and proclaiming it as fact. I write about what scientists call the “‘cocktail effect concerning chemicals in the environment and drugs in the brain, where various substances “potentiate” other substances” (Fantasyland 10). If Americans are drunk off of fantasy cocktails, then philosophy is the hangover cure, but what’s the point of a cure if no one is willing to take it? I believe philosophy could have the power to ground those back to Earth. I just don’t think Americans specifically are ready to be grounded. As Americans, we also have the tendency to believe we are the center of the universe, both collectively and individually, we naturally believe our issues to be the most pressing. I think everyone could benefit from putting down the remote control and stop trying to find answers where the question isn’t even real, and seek the knowledge the world can provide. The real one. 

There was a silence as we were all waiting for Baggini to chime in, but he took his time.

Baggini: Considering my book dives into philosophies around the world, I think I can offer some interesting perspective. Philosophy is a universal language as nearly everyone has the ability to think and reason, even if the outcomes from those actions are different. Philosophy opens up barriers of tradition and history that has led to the philosophical outcomes of today. No one should be limited to their one mindset. For then how would they come to know the world? In my book I try and take the reader all over the world, without them having to move an inch. We can all learn from each other and the way one another thinks, and philosophy is no exception. To quote Zimbabwean philosopher Joram Tarusarira, “If you don’t understand their software there will always be this gap in terms of understanding in conversation” (HWT xv). If we want to succeed in aiding others, in whatever way that may be, we must first understand them. Philosophy is the language of understanding, which is curious considering it can be one of the hardest concepts to understand. It breaks racial, cultural, and historical boundaries making a more united people worldwide. 

    They all had very interesting things to say, and I was trying to breathe in all the knowledge I could.. I wanted to know more, so I followed up with the question: What is this world going to be? What is life eventually to make of itself?" A question originally posed by William James. 

Warburton: What an interesting question.

Me: Isn’t that what philosophy is all about?

Warburton: Fair point. 

Andersen decided to take the lead on this particular question. 

Andersen: I know my previous view of us as a society was quite pessimistic, but I do believe it’s possible we can overcome the turmoil we have made for ourselves. There is the issue of possible versus probable. It’s a collective and active effort, and as we have seen from our current pandemic, Americans don’t work for the collective. It makes me nervous to think our fantasyland is in too deep, and that we’re headed for a WALL-E world, but I haven’t been offered much hope to think otherwise. To turn the tide, you need a wonderful leader to steer the ship and I cannot say America has been so fortunate to have that lately. “...our drift toward credulity, doing our own thing, and having an altogether uncertain grip on reality has overwhelmed our other exceptional national traits and turned us into a less-developed country as well” (Fantasyland 11). I suppose my question for the future is, how far can we go before fantasy is all we know?

Me: As a person who grew up in the digital age, I have to say I know the fantasies we entertain keep us from reality, but, with all due respect Mr. Andersen, it’s not all bad. Sure, we indulge in made up worlds and virtual realities, but do you know how many people make friends through these alternate realities? How many teenagers use these to help them cope with various things? I understand that everything in moderation and maybe fantasy is swallowing us whole, but certain endeavours like movies are art. And art exists because life isn’t enough sometimes, but maybe that’s the whole problem isn’t it? Okay now that I’m properly having a life crisis, what do you think Mr. Warburton?

Warburton: I cannot for certain tell you what the future holds. Unfortunately, no one can. I do hope that is filled with change and adjustment rather than momentary vices. Instead of the world feeling this constant sense of dissatisfaction, society will take what’s already in front of them and change it for the better. Society is constantly evolving at different paces, in different ways. This can also be said for philosophy, but it all started with the awkward questions and most pondered over answers. This is the spirit that I hope will remain constant as we continue into the future. 

Baggini:  Allow me to give my two cents. As I’ve made it perfectly clear, cultural and historical outreach seems to be the key to a bright, better future. We have the whole world in our pockets, on our laps, and at our fingertips. Why not use it to open the mind and explore into mentally uncharted territory. All we know, naturally, is what we’ve experienced, but to be satisfied with that is a myth. “If we truly aspire to a more objective understanding of the world, we have to make use of the advantages to be gained by occupying different intellectual places. Doing so with reverence but not deference to the past and present of other cultures could help us transform our own philosophical landscapes” (HWT 341). 

Warburton: Well said. I’m now intrigued to know what you think Alexa.

Oh! Me? I’ve been studying philosophy for half a semester now, but I don’t know if I’ve built up the mental stamina to offer anything of value to this conversation, but now they’re all staring at me waiting for me to say something, so I just say the first thing that pops into my head. 

Me: Philosophy terrifies me. (Note to Self: Not the most promising opening sentence). Let me explain. I’ve always been one to ask questions, whether philosophical ones like, “Does anyone know what true happiness feels like?” all the way to trivial ones such as, “Are dentists and mouth doctors qualified to do the same things?” I have all these questions, but can never seem to find the answers (except for the mouth doctors one, they are called otorhinolaryngologists, thank you Zavier).  There are so many things to be thought about and so many questions, it overwhelms me. When it comes to what the future will look like, I find it hard not to just think about what MY future will look like. It’s a selfish mindset, and I’m working on it, but it just seems there’s so many personal worries to have. I’ve always been naturally optimistic, and maybe that’s naive, but I see the world in a happy light both now and the future. From the way I see it, 2020 was practically rock bottom so we can only go up from here. I want to thank you gentlemen for meeting me today, and letting me pick at your brains. Co-mingling minds isn’t something I can get a degree for, but I truly think it’s what unlocks some of the universe’s most clever tricks.