[MD] Philosophy and Philosophology

[Matt Kundert]

Hi John,

Matt said:
Not to hopscotch threads, but unless you put more meat 
on the bones of howyou're using the 
philosophy/philosophology distinction, then--as has been 
my contention --it is just a magical incantation, giving you 
the goodies of superiority.

John said:
The meat is this, Christ said a lot of things that might really 
threaten a consumerist culture.  But the priests and church 
interpreters that are in charge of the social set up don't 
really have much interest in promoting the ideas of 
considering the lilies of the field or turning over the money 
changers tables in the temple.  I mean they do pay a sort of 
lip service to such ideals,...

Much the same way I might think I was wise because I read 
Socrates and know him as a philosopher.  That's not the 
same thing as thinking for myself and Christians who "know" 
Christ are no better off than if they didn't know Christ if 
they are going to completely ignore his words and the 
meaning of his lessons.

Matt:
Let me say that I don't exactly disagree with the substance 
of what you're talking about.  But that's not what I had 
meant--I want more on _why you think that the above gives 
you a distinction called "philosophy/philosophology"_.  I'm 
looking for a defense, roughly, of the horse/cart metaphor 
Pirsig used in erecting his distinction, one that has relevance 
to what professional philosophers do, or think they're doing.

I want to know how, specifically, the distinction works so I 
can know how to use it, and not just sounding it like a bell, 
and then all the Pavlovian dogs attuned to that bell--knowing 
how to respond to it--start drooling.  The bell is a spell: we 
who respond positively naturally think we think for ourselves, 
and so assume we're on the good team.  I want something 
like a checklist that tells me when a person isn't thinking for 
themself.

My trouble is that, not only don't I think the horse/cart 
metaphor holds up philosophically for this topic, but that 
while on the one hand we might know practically how to i
dentify one in, e.g., someone who watches too much Fox 
News, I don't think there exists a notable parallel in 
professional philosophy--certainly not enough to say _there 
are no real philosophers anymore_.

Matt

_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Search, add, and share the web’s latest sports videos. Check it out.
http://www.windowslive.com/Online/Hotmail/Campaign/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_QA_HM_sports_videos_072009&cat=sports