After I shared my recent feature with Steve Patterson (below), an outcry from several followers and friends on social media declaring that one cannot professionally philosophize outside of academia led me to ask a follow up question.
What do you say to those who say you can’t be a professional philosopher outside of academia?
It depends on what you mean by “professional.” If you’re saying, “You cannot teach philosophy at a university without formal accreditation,” then I’d agree. If by “professional”, you mean “You cannot make a living philosophizing outside of academia,” then I’d disagree.
Perhaps more importantly, if you mean “You cannot make substantial contributions to philosophy” or “You cannot work with the deepest ideas,” (implying the biggest ideas are reserved for established “academics”) then I strongly disagree. Philosophy, of all fields, is wide-open to anybody with a sharp mind.
Historically speaking, academia served a wonderful purpose: to centralize knowledge and make it accessible to bright people. Researchers needed access to gigantic libraries and an intellectual community. But things are changing. The internet decentralizes knowledge and intellectual communication.
A modern, lone-wolf philosopher has more resources available to him than most “professional” philosophers have throughout history. I can get free copies of nearly any book ever written and have instant correspondence with any intellectual around the globe. It would be difficult to overstate the impact of this; the possibilities are extraordinary. I imagine within a few decades, we will see self-studied thinkers become the norm, not the exception.
Be sure to check out my feature with Steve below and follow him at steve-patterson.com.