A short, CRITICAL History of Philosophy (Chapter 49)

L.A. Paul: A Look At An Important Philosopher of Today

Most of the chapters of my critical history of philosophy have been just that: critical. Indeed, they have been exceptionally so. At the heart of these assaults on accepted thinking about philosophy is a single question: to what degree can we understand our species’ basic issues and problems based on reason?

From Plato onwards, philosophy has acted as a sort of used car salesman of ideas. All too often the pitch has been the same. The customer need not look in the Blue Book and try to find out what the car is said to be worth. Nor should he investigate the vehicle’s history of accidents or other mishaps. Instead, he should purchase the dented clunker at the price requested simply upon the say-so of the salesman. What is the evidence that a totalitarian state ruled by philosopher-kings would be preferable to Periclean Athens with its democracy, its enormous wealth and its abundance of artistic and scientific genius? The field of philosophy seems to be saying that the would-be purchaser is displaying poor form by gazing under the hood and steadfastly refusing to buy a car that won’t make it past the first pit-stop on the highway.

Yet I cannot offer much except praise for one current American philosopher who has been awakening interest. I am referring to Laurie Ann Paul, a professor of philosophy and cognitive science at Yale. Writing as L.A. Paul, she is best known for her book Transformative Experience.