What is Philosophy For? by Mary Midgley

In November the Reading Network were delighted to welcome Ellie Robson to open our discussion. Ellie is a 2nd year PhD student at Birkbeck, University of London. Her PhD thesis is a contextual revival and analysis of Mary Midgley's Ethical Naturalism. Ellie completed both her BA and MA at Durham University, where she was also involved in the In Parenthesis Project. You can follow Ellie on Twitter @Philosophellie

Here are her opening questions and their context. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

[1] Are there really no final answers in Philosophy? Can we find truth? Is it controversial to say we can’t?

[2] Considering the following quote from Dr Clare Mac Cumhaill (https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/fzaa002) what are your thoughts?

"It might likewise be complained that there is in What is Philosophy For? a dearth of argument, a lack of the kind of analytic rigour that makes REF outputs glisten – no variables or definitions, for example. Somewhat differently, it might be worried that Midgley’s treatment does not take seriously enough that mode of being that stirs the existentialist imagination, for instance, alienated and not at home in the world, contemplative and speculative. There is something to be said for all these observations, but to raise them as criticisms is to mistake what What is Philosophy for? is for."

Continuing the conversation!

Ilya kindly gave permission for us to share his thoughts (posted on Twitter @IZrudlo).