Short of a
philosophic inquiry, everything becomes a subject waiting for a
philosopher who does not want to stay within the boundaries of
the history of philosophy.
Once new movements, some better justified than others, and all
reflecting the shift from the authority-based civilization of
literacy to the endless freedom of choice of the illiterate
context, needed a powerful instrument to further their programs,
they chose, or were chosen by, philosophy. Secularism and
pluralism meet within philosophic concerns with the gay
movement, feminism, multi-culturalism, integration of new
technology, implications of aging, the new holisms, popular
philosophy, sexual emancipation, virtuality, and more along this
line. In a way, this reflects the new awareness of efficiency
that permeates philosophic activity, but also its struggle to
maintain its relations to literacy. Legitimate doubt is generated
by the choice of subjects that seem to attract philosophers, and
by the apparent lack of philosophic matter. When the language is
not obscure, the philosopher seems to discuss matters, not really
question reasons, and even less advance ideas or explanatory
models. Wholesale generalizations do not help, but one can
really not escape the feeling that the process through which
philosophy liberates itself from literacy has been less
productive than the similar process of science's emancipation
from language.
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