u/MartinJanello

I am tired of non-professionals falsely claiming Philosophy is not making progress! When those of us in the know see it on all fronts. Largely unsung heroes are fighting valiantly to bring illumination and illustration to humankind. While this selfless struggle in itself should already be highly acknowledged, normal people are even less aware that we are winning!

Why is this? We cannot fully pass the blame to low IQ in the general public. There must be some influencers who would be able to understand what we tell them or who at least would promote the idea based on the impression we make on them. But are we reaching them? Are we making the case to them that Philosophy is succeeding in clearing the way for human development? The answer is sadly no at this time.

The underlying causes are two-fold. If there are any shortcomings to be found in the Philosophy profession, they are its lack of self-confidence and public relations. We need to get better at both of these if we are to preserve our avantgarde position in humanity's journey toward enlightenment.

So I am inviting colleagues and others who love knowledge and have secured some to educate the public about philosophical advancements and achievements. Go as far back or into other fields as you deem necessary to demonstrate the progress we have made and continue to make. Let's give them a show of intellectual force they won't forget!

We have all heard the slur that Philosophy does not translate into anything useful. And many colleagues resign to this characterization, allowing themselves be bullied into a corner and reciting tired teachings in hopes of edging out a living. Sadly, all this coping with expectations often does not pay. And our massive private contributions to humanity are not adequately rewarded either. Philosophy prevents us from making ends meet.

I have seen this addressed on a departmental level with corporate branding on clothing, buildings, publications, and even department names. This is usually not an option for individual colleagues. Only some institutions share their sponsorship bounties.

But do not despair! There are a number of untapped income sources for financially struggling philosophers, or even for colleagues who would like to match the prestige of their position with means. All it takes is an open mind. A tall order for some. But you don't even have to compromise your professional activities. Just muster some willingness to commercialize your messaging a bit by infusing it into a profitable side business. Here are some ideas:

Start a restaurant showcasing your favorite philosopher or philosophy. Greek, German, or other Continental, Indian, and Chinese fare seem a safe bet. You could keep it neutral, just referencing philosophy or a type of philosophy in the business name, and then pack your expertise into décor and selection of dishes. You might also hire trained waiters who dress and behave as philosophers, possibly even providing short philosophical introductions or advice from a menu. Or you might feature more elaborate philosophical entertainment in show format. What a beautiful setting for public philosophy!

Already claimed are:

Plato's Cave - A sports food pub with a TV on every wall

Plato's Cavé - a Greek coffee house serving 50 types of baklava

Sun Tzu - a Chinese-German fusion restaurant that will close shortly

Schlegel - a German chicken restaurant

If gastronomy is not your strength, you might want to offer products or services that evoke philosophical interest. For instance:

Aquinas - bottled water (note the great opportunity here to teach philosophies on the wrapper).

Parmenides & Gadamer - a cheese store

Nietzsche - nasal spray

Kierkegaard - spiritual remedy

Confucius - mental clarity supplement

So-crates - a storage solution enterprise

Im-manual Kan't - handyman service

Arendt - funeral services

Analytic Philosophy - a hemorrhoid treatment clinic

Any of these businesses can generate ample contact with normal people and put your knowledge to good use. A fulfilling win-win by generating income from your expertise while providing a much needed public education and elevation service.

These are just some of my ideas. Please share yours here with a grateful community!

I used to claim English translations of German Idealism are necessarily misleading because original words selected by its philosophers often focus on a specific meanings in German that English translations frequently miss, twist, or foreclose. I also used to think scholarship on German Idealism or any part of it could not be complete without studying its sources, context, secondary and tertiary publications, most of which are only available in German. This has incurred me considerable ire and blockage by colleagues, not trained in German, but still calling themselves authorities on German Idealism or one of its representatives or branches.

I have since reversed my mind on these matters, and not only for reasons of improving my socialization among such illustrious colleagues. I honestly think I was wrong and do sincerely apologize for any unease my remarks might have caused. Here is why:

Pretty much everything that could be written about German Idealism and its composers and components has already been written in the past 250 years - in German. That's great. But why waste precious time and energy learning German to read all that old stuff now. German speakers have done this already, and look where it brought them. And reading up on this library would only expose us to depressive realizations that some German-speaker already had the insights about German Idealism that we thought are new and ours.

No. We need to be creative, think outside the box, if we are to finish German Idealism. Traditional exegesis would only hold us back in our quest for new horizons. The sole chance of these stale philosophies to grow and reach their potential is if we engage in their unorthodox interpretation and expansion. Who cares what all these noble geezers meant, when we can make new headway by extrapolating what they could or should have meant.

The best way to do this is by applying a little game theory: Translate a word by any English counterpart in the German-English dictionary that appeals to you. Then thesaurusize that word until it fits you even better. Now put the so prepared words together. Viola: New meaning emerges that is totally legit based on the original text. For more leeway, retranslate into German and repeat. With determination you can get there! You can finish off German Idealism!

All we need now is some chin-up! Analytic Philosophy has already shown this can work by going through similar motions. Dead German philosophers tell no tales. And we actually do them a favor by making their humble beginnings ours and reaping the rewards among the living. We deserve this for building something on their boring foundations. The glorious end of this imaginative journey will be that we can confidently proclaim German Idealism to be eclipsed by Anglosphere Idealism. With this accomplished, our culture can sovereignly be declared the winner across the board of Philosophy. After all, that ultimate feeling of superiority is what it is all about. Number one, baby! We made it. Ok, not quite yet. But as Fichte said: "You will never get there if you don't imagine already being there." Storyboard stuff, my friends. Eyes on the prize.

So I say "bravo" and "thank you" to my monolingual colleagues for being on the forefront of these exciting developments. As Schelling proclaimed so tellingly: "A real philosopher doesn't just copy philosophy; he makes things up."