Philosophy in the 21st Century: A Survey

Folks, here's your chance to weigh in on the state of philosophy in the 21st Century.  The following questions have been compiled by a journalist / philosopher who is doing some research for an article.  Your responses here will be compiled and passed on to him for inclusion in his story.  Please respond to as many or as few of these questions as you have an opinion on.<br><br>**The Survey**<br><br>1.  What do you think is the most pressing issue of our time, and how should we address it philosophically?<br><br>2.  What is the most neglected topic in philosophy, and how should we approach it?<br><br>3.  The 20th Century was marked by the rise of analytic philosophy, the fall of logical positivism, the development of post-structuralism, the strengthening of pragmatism, and the growth of Eastern philosophy.  What will mark the 21st Century?<br><br>4.  How should philosophy engage with science?  Physics?  Biology?  Psychology?  Social Science?<br><br>5.  If you were to create a philosophy department from the ground up, how would you do it?  Who would you hire?  What classes would you teach?  How would you engage with the wider world outside the university?<br><br>6.  What do you think is the least important part of philosophy, and how should we go about reforming it?<br><br>7.  How should / could philosophy engage with the world outside of the university?  How should it engage with the public?  How should it engage with other parts of the university?  With science?  With art / literature?<br><br>8.  How should we engage with other traditions of philosophy?  Continental / analytic?  Eastern / Western?  Indigenous / European?  20th Century / Ancient?  Modern / medieval?<br><br>9.  On what big issues do you think philosophers should have the most to say, but do not?<br><br>10.  How should philosophy engage with new technology?  What is the right balance between the old and the new?  What is the right speed for new philosophies to develop in response to new technologies?<br><br>11.  Thinkers like Peter Singer and Martha Nussbaum have drawn a lot of attention in the popular press for their views on issues like oppression, climate change, and poverty.  How could / should philosophers engage in public debate?<br><br>12.  There is a lacking of consensus on the meaning and value of intuitions as evidence in philosophy.  What is the appropriate place for intuitions in philosophical discourse?<br><br>13.  What is your least favorite school of thought in philosophy, and how should we go about improving it?<br><br>14.  How should philosophers engage with the wider public, and how can the wider public engage with philosophers?  How should this relationship be shaped?<br><br>15.  How should philosophers engage with politicians and policy makers?  What is the right balance between the philosophers and society at large?<br><br>16.  The world is facing a lot of new problems in the 21st Century - how should philosophers respond to them philosophically?  What are the most pressing problems, and how should they be approached?<br><br>17.  What should be the relationship between philosophers and other academics?  How should / could philosophy engage with other departments in the university?<br><br>18.  How should 21st Century philosophers engage with philosophers from times past?<br><br>19.  How should philosophers engage with art?  Literature?  Music?  Theater?  Dance?  Visual art?  How should they engage with the integration of these arts into one work?<br><br>20.  How should philosophers engage with film?<br><br>21.  A lot of the intellectual work being done on big questions is being done outside of philosophy - in cognitive science, anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, political science, literary studies, and cultural studies.  Cognitive scientists are answering questions about the mind / body problem, anthropologists are answering questions about cultural relativism, political scientists are answering questions about how we should organize our political systems. What role is left for philosophers?<br><br>22.  What should be the relationship between philosophy and science?  How should philosophers engage with the sciences?  How should science engage with philosophers?  How should philosophers engage with each other across disciplinary boundaries?<br><br>23.  How should philosophers engage with religion?  How should they engage with the faithful?  How should they engage with the secular?<br><br>24.  What should be the relationship between philosophy and other types of inquiry, such as literary theory, cultural studies, or art / architectural history?<br><br>25.  How should philosophers engage with the past, and how should they engage with the future?  How should they balance their attention between the two?<br><br>**The Rules**<br><br>1.  Stay on topic<br><br>2.  No personal attacks, racist epithets, homophobic slurs, or sexist put-downs.  Play the ball, not the man.<br><br>3.  No trolling<br><br>4.  No off topic comments, please.