I stumbled across the London Philosophy Fixtures List from Tim Crane’s IP Blog. What an intersting idea; have a central list of all activities within a discipline in one central location. This is exactly what Google tries to automate, yet it still seems to take people to point out some of the information that may not be readily available in a Google-findable format yet. I wonder if something like this exists in the world of philosophy in New York? My hunch is that it does not. Why not? Perhaps the reason can be found within the Institute of Philosophy’s mission, which is:

The Institute’s aim is to make philosophy of the highest quality available to the widest possible audience, both inside and outside the UK’s academic community.

I wonder if all the supporting institutions in and around London have a common agreement and understanding of what philosophy is? From my experience in the US, some traditions and people do not acknowledge that some other people or views are true and serious philosophy at all. Some people claim that Baudrillard was not worth studying in a serious philosophical capacity (such as the likes of Kant or Plato). The same can be said of Ayn Rand or Derrida or even Continental philosophy in general. While a tension exists to an extent within the field, I wonder if something as simple as a central list is even possible given the animosity that exists? Rather than just muse on it, I wonder if there is any way I can be a part of the solution?

Technorati Tags: Ayn Rand, Continental Philosophy, Derrida, Institute of Philosophy, Philosophy, Baudrillard