Midgley on Philosophy and Plumbing; Ageing, Illness, and Death; Run for Refugees
An essay by Ellie Robson; an event with Drew Leder and Kevin Aho; a fundraiser
Dear all,
In July 2023, I started working for a Connecticut-based refugee resettlement organisation called IRIS. We manage to do so much on a very limited budget, but, of course, we could do so much more with greater resources. We worked with over 2,000 refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants last year, and even made the front page of the New York Times in December! I am taking part in our annual “Run for Refugees” a week today. It’s only 5K so hardly a monumental achievement, but if you feel like supporting me with a donation, you can do so here (if Trump gets elected, donations are pretty much all we will have to survive on...)! All donations are hugely appreciated!
And now onto the philosophy…
Your Sunday Read
“Mary Midgley on Water and Thought: Is Public Philosophy Like Plumbing?”
by Ellie Robson
What did Mary Midgley mean when she argues that “philosophy is best understood as a form of plumbing”? In this essay, Midgley scholar Ellie Robson offers a wonderful overview of Midgley’s belief that philosophy plays a distinct role in allowing us to resolve the conceptual conflicts and muddles that we experience in both our personal and public lives. You can read Ellie’s essay here.
Monday Event: 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm UK
“Illness, Ageing, Death, and All That”
Drew Leder and Kevin Aho in conversation with Anthony Morgan
As we grapple with the impacts of an aging population, the millions who struggle with chronic pain and illness, and the unknown number of COVID survivors dealing with long-term impairment, our individual and collective trust in our bodies is shaken. How to adapt? And how to live well, even when medical cure is unavailable?
As both a philosopher and medical doctor, Drew Leder has been writing on embodiment for the past thirty years, and the publication of The Healing Body: Creative Responses to Illness, Aging, and Affliction last year completes an influential trilogy of books that started with The Absent Body back in 1990. As keen athlete in his late forties, philosopher Kevin Aho hadn’t given much thought to his own mortality until he suffered a sudden heart attack that left him fighting for his life. Confronted with death for the first time, he realized that the things he thought gave his life meaning, such as his independence or his ability to plan his own future, were in tatters. Through writing One Beat More: Existentialism and the Gift of Mortality, Aho found new meaning and comfort in a view of life that strives for authenticity and accepts aging and death as part of what makes life worthwhile. You can find out more and register here.
Recording of Chakravarti/Lindsay/Bacevic conversation
For those of who missed Monday’s conversation between Sonali Chakravarti, Philip Lindsay and Jana Bacevic on “Thinking Together as Deliberation”, you can watch the recording here.
Recording of Rana/Cowie conversation
For those of who missed Tuesday’s conversation between Aziz Rana and Jefferson Cowie on “A New Politics of Freedom”, you can watch the recording here.
Event on Thursday February 22nd at Conway Hall, London
Hannah Arendt’s Lessons in Love and Disobedience
Lyndsey Stonebridge in conversation with Samantha Rose Hill
Tickets are selling fast for our in-person event in London in a couple of weeks, so snap one up now - or tell your friend to! Buy your ticket here.
Ending
The Philosopher is unfunded and relies on your support to keep doing the work we do. It is a constant struggle to break even and requires an immense amount of hard work - almost all of it unpaid.
You can offer a donation, join us via Patreon, or become a print or digital subscriber. All support is greatly appreciated!
Wishing you all a lovely Sunday, wherever you are.
Anthony Morgan
Editor