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March 10, 1998 TO: APA Members Attending the 12/29/97 Talk with the APA on Developing a Philosophy Magazine for the Educated Public FROM: Raymond S. Pfeiffer, rspfeiff@alpha.delta.edu This letter is in response to the direction of Eric Hoffman and Rick Lewis as a result of our Talk with the APA in Philadelphia. Part I is a summary of some of what what was discussed at the meeting, and Part II an invitation to you to participate in the development of Philosophy Now as a U.S. Editorial Advisor. Part I: Highlights of the Meeting 12/29/97, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM The meeting was moderated by Eric Hoffman, Executive Director of the APA and Philip L. Quinn, Chair of the Board of Officers of the APA. Participants were Jonathan Adler, Charles Echelbarger, Peter Here, Rick Lewis and Raymond S. Pfeiffer. During the meeting, the attendance fluctuated from about 27 to 33. 1. Eric Hoffman introduced the meeting, pointing out that there has been considerable discussion by a number of philosophers over the years on the need for a philosophy magazine which presents philosophical ideas in a readable, accessible, non-technical way to the educated public. He explained that there is no reason to think that the APA will become formally involved in any such publication, but that a number of members of it have expressed interest, and that the APA can certainly facilitate discussions which might lead to or promote development in such a direction. This is the purpose of this ÒTalk with the APA.Ó 2. Eric Hoffman then turned to introduce the listed participants and then to the story of Philosophy Now and its editor, Rick Lewis, who came to Philadelphia by special request to attend this meeting. Mr. Lewis told the story of how he had begun Philosophy Now in 1991 with money from his pocket and had had enough luck to attract some interest in the endeavor , which now has a circulation of almost 6,000 in Britain. He had three main goals for the first issue: It should strive to 1) be a magazine interesting to those in philosophy; 2) interest people in philosophy and et them involved in doing some philosophical thinking; 3) develop the public image of philosophy. He wanted the magazine to be one in which philosophers educate the public in philosophy. So it was important that the magazine restrict the use of jargon and technical terminology, and that it offer a variety of interesting articles and ideas and appeal to people of varied interests. And indeed about 2/3 of its articles to date have been in fact written by philosophers. 3. Some of the ideas expressed at the meeting were as follows: Prof. Pfeiffer: The magazine should have a variety of styles, departments, articles and genres including interviews, summaries of major philosophical positions, and regular updates in standard fields such as the philosophies of science, religion, art, language, history, literature, etc. However, its economy of technical terminology need not prevent it from presenting some fairly abstract and sophisticated ideas, distinctions and arguments. And perhaps some rating scale should be developed to help readers determine at a glance what difficulty of reading should follow. Prof. Echelbarger: The magazine should have as one of its goals to present philosophical thinking on topics which are already familiar to the public but about which the public lacks philosophical sophistication. In addition, he thought the magazine should make clear its relation to the APA (as informal as that relation might be). He pointed out that there are articles in American Educator which could be in a philosophy magazine. It will be important to have a good-looking cover and to obtain advertising. Prof. Adler: The magazine should aim for a high level of discourse comparable to, say, the Scientific American. Celebrities such as George Will should not be published unless they are in a philosophical debate with a real philosopher. He also thinks the magazine should be distinguished from the style of the New York Review of Books. He pointed out that once it develops to a clear, uniform high quality, direct marketing should be used to expand its readership. Today, $400 buys 1,000 letters sent out. Prof. Hare: People without formal philosophical credentials should do some of the writing and be subjects of articles. The names of celebrities who care about ideas should be used in the magazine such as Mario Cuomo, Gary Hart, Stephen Jay Gould, George Soros. Hoffman: Disagreeing with Adler, he argued that the Scientific American is not the right model. Echelbarger suggested Discover as a better model. Prof. D. Tress: Are we doing philosophy or reporting on it? It is essential, he thought, to develop a clear identity. Prof. Quinn: Answering Tress, he thinks we should be doing both. Some others also indicated agreement with this approach. Prof. R. T. DeGeorge: Popular journals are monthly, not quarterly. Lingua Franca is bimonthly. It will be quite a production to produce a monthly or even bimonthly magazine. Prof. D. Scherer: Will the magazine be culture-bound or trans-cultural? Prof. M. Linker: We should examine carefully as a model History Today. Prof. V. Fiery: We philosophers should all start writing articles and sending them out to all sorts of magazines and newspapers and other publications which might publish them. Such a general effort at publishing popular material could have a major impact on public thought, and teach us all a lot about how to write well for such an audience. Prof. F. Dilley: Various philosophy newsletters do some of what we want to do in our magazine. Others in the audience generally endorsed the ideas which had been expressed, and also expressed the view that the most promising approach for us in the U.S.A. to take at this time would be to get involved with Rick Lewis in strengthening Philosophy Now and making it suitable for and appealing to a broad U.S. audience. Mr. Lewis, in turn, explained that he is entirely willing to expand the scope of Philosophy Now and to accept significant U.S. influence and support in developing it. The meeting adjourned with a general consensus that philosophers in the U.S. interested in developing a magazine presenting philosophical ideas, analyses and arguments to the educated public should consider joining in the effort to help Rick Lewis to expand, extend and improve Philosophy Now. Part II: Invitation to Participate as Editorial Advisor for Philosophy Now Subsequent discussions with Mr. Rick Lewis led him to invite American philosophers to join with Philosophy Now in the capacity of a U.S. Editorial Advisor. Although the exact duties of such advisors are not entirely defined at this time, they will surely review and write and solicit articles and pieces for publication. In addition, they will be asked to take out subscriptions, to encourage subscriptions and to publicize the magazine. Their suggestions and ideas will be solicited regularly as the magazine changes and expands and moves into the U.S. market. Any philosophers interested should send a vita to Raymond Pfeiffer by e-mail (rspfeiff@alpha.delta.edu) and also one hard copy (R. Pfeiffer, Delta College, University Center, MI 48710) together with a letter of commitment not more than a page long describing what they can offer Philosophy Now . The names of those who become editorial advisors will be printed on each issue of Philosophy Now. They will form an important part of the organization necessary to achieve our vision. finis |