Philosophy, A Matter of Life and Death |
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Written by <a href='/community/profile/68-danieleaton/'>danieleaton</a>
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Sunday, 07 December 2003 17:51 |
article: Philosophy, A Matter of Life and Death, theaustralian.com.au
related: Language and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Language, Michael Devitt, Kim Sterelny
The Australian reminds its readers that philosophy down under is serious business:
"In 1935, John Anderson, the University of Sydney's professor of Philosophy and Sydney's best-known academic, wrote a newspaper article in which he said Australian culture was dominated by one philosophical attitude.
"Utilitarianism," he wrote, "the passion for 'results' whether it be racing results, athletic or scholastic successes, or the ordinary worldly benefits, is more deeply rooted in the Australian mentality than is the case in communities which have had time to develop a speculative tradition as part of a broad culture."
He looked forward to a time when the Australian mind would not suffer "the schoolboy's domination by catchphrases" and a vigorous philosophy would flourish in the land. Anderson's own militantly atheist philosophy was vigorous to the point where he was condemned by the NSW parliament for statements "calculated to undermine the principles which constitute a Christian state".
He did, however, lay the groundwork for an Australian tradition that in many ways now surpasses the effete and exhausted philosophical output of the northern hemisphere. He established a coherent realism that became the central theme of the history of philosophy in this country."
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