Update -- Post 200 Edition

blogger tells me that this is my 200th post at OODT. So hooray! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but all my writing energies have been sucked from me by tutoring and proofreading MBA students' papers. Did you know the strategies Costco has used to compete against dominators like Wal-Mart, or how epically screwed Toyota is right now? You didn't? Did you care?

The biggest news is that I've been accepted to Michigan State University's philosophy PhD program, and my plan now is to accept (though I'm also going to visit them the first week of May and if it's absolutely terrible I'll call it off). There are a lot of reasons why I prefer the school -- their interests (ecology, social justice, race, feminism, ethics, development, cognitive science, etc.) are a very good match with the directions I want to go in philosophy, but I think I'll still bring a perspective (raaaadical anarchism, a strong interest in philosophy of education, etc.) that will be new there. I also looked at the list of professors and students, and compared it to the other schools I'd been accepted to or wait-listed for, and the difference was remarkable -- MSU had by far the most diverse faculty and grad students in terms of ethnicity, background, and gender. That's a really good sign in several ways: not only does it imply that the people who run the program are not assholes, but it also means that more people might be doing the good kind of philosophy.

What I mean here is that there tends to be two kinds of philosophy based on my limited experience: the first kind of philosophy is what everyone thinks all philosophy is (when they bother to think about the issue at all), where a bunch of privileged white dudes sit around and show off how smart they are by making esoteric arguments about bullshit that doesn't matter. This has a long and storied tradition dating all the way back at least to the scholars (in the original sense of the word) of Medieval Europe.

The other kind of philosophy is people honestly trying to criticize things and think about them in order to know what to do now to make positive change. Right or wrong, they think that getting issues clear can be a part of making the world better.

Obviously I am interested in the former. Kidding! Seriously, I'm very glad that I wasn't accepted to any programs last year. I would have gone in a very different direction, and one much less tied to my values, passions, and what I think matters in the world. In the intervening year I've developed quite a lot, and found my (insert new-agey term here. Center? Pole star? Muse? Speaking of which as a fun project for the class - can a concept like a "muse", several thousands of years old at least, count as new age? Why or why not?) I'll be happier for it, my time will be better spent, and my work (since it will be guided by my passions) will be better too, which will mean I'm more successful in every definition of the word. So thanks, schools that didn't think I was good enough! Thank you very much.