[lit-ideas] De Consolatione Philosophiae

Philosophy, The Liberal Arts, The Liberal Professions
 
In a message dated 6/27/2009 2:31:12 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
wokshevs@xxxxxx writes:
the discipline of philosophy is not itself  a
service profession. It comes to be addressed as such when its resources,  
forms
of analysis, etc. are deployed by an applied field of learning, such  as
education, medicine, law, nursing, engineering, journalism, escort  
services,
etc.. Not that there's anything WRONG in that.
Being a  discipline rather than a field of learning, the "good" of 
philosophy is
not  to be measured by any changes or states of affairs in the world it may
bring  about. The moral and epistemic worth of the "results" produced by  a
discipline rest intrinsically within its pursuit as a practice of  
scholarship.

----
 
Mmm. Good.
But in further need of elucidation.
I myself don't like talk of 'discipline' at all. I think Buddhism is a  
discipline. Hardly the recovery of a Gricean implicature
In Ancient Greece, people had to be _warriors_. That was the only  
discipline or profession acceptable. But some preferred to be, if you can  
imagine 
that, philosophers.
In the Middle Ages, they added a second profession: 'monk'. Warrior, or  
monk. Since some philosophers _were_ monks (Aquinas, etc), that was the birth 
of  the "Renaissance Man" who was a sort of philosopher of sorts and not yet 
a  warrior or a monk.
In the 20th century -- for I don't do 21th century -- it bores me -- we  
have to take into consideration G. E. M. Anscombe, and that complicates  
things.
 
Liber meant 'puer' in Roman, i.e. a boy. Hence liberal arts. It's not the  
arts that would set you free, but as their names indicate, 'grammar',  
'arithmetica': the puerile stuff pueri had to study to cease being  animals.
 
Philosophy was _never_ considered an 'ars liberalis'. Dialectica or logica  
is _not_ philosophy. Philosophy, usually represented as a Virgin (Boethius, 
De  Consolatione Philosophiae) was _beyond_ that.
With the coming of Christ and the monks, a very servile attitude was  
thought for the Philosophy: she became Ancilla Theologiae, if you can imagine  
that: the nanny of Theology!
 
The liberal professions -- some are service professions --. Consider  
'lawyer'. (I'm never sure what they are).
 
So, this leaves us with not knowing where Philosophy should fit in.
The relationship with other disciplines leaves me cold -- i.e. there's  
nothing wrong with that, but nothing right either.
 
Incidentally, I'm presently considering Anne Coulter.

In a number of outings, she's been criticising Dr. Tiller -- and the  
question arises: is there such a thing as moral guilt? It seems guilt is only  
'legal'. Coulter's point:
 
The abortionists were saying:
"I don't want to see abortion as a murder;  it's termination before the 3rd 
trimester"
"I don't myself embrace abortion, but I don't want to impose my moral  
values on others."
"If you don't want to have an abortion don't have an abortion."

Cleverly using the same logic, by 'salva veritate' Coulter  proposes:
 
"I don't want to see the demise of Dr. Tiller as a murder: it's termination 
 after the 203rd trimester".
"I don't myself embrace abortionist-shooting, but I don't want to impose my 
 moral values on others" (She was criticised for ignoring the distinction  
legal/moral here).
"If you don't want to shoot an abortionist, don't shoot an abortionist".  
Ditto, as not prohibiting illegal actions.
 
--- So perhaps Geary can explain.
And whether abortion is a liberal profession.
 
J. L. S.
   
 
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