The School of Canadian Philosophy

[NorthrnMystique]

For those who say that a distinctive school of Canadian philosophy doesnt exist, I will present you with three names:
1)George Grant
2)Marshal McCluhan
3)John Ralston Saul

I am no expert on philosophy, but then again, can an ''expert'' on philosophy even exist?
Philosophy is ethically and humanly driven----we are all philosophers.
So, what unites these three men---and what is Canadian philosophy?
Ethically motivated, organically textured, and criticism of status quo liberalism.
Witness Grant's lament over liberalisms scientific, progressive victory over the conservative worlview......McCluhan's critique of modern media....and Saul's lambasting over apparently ''rational'' man's superiority over everything that came before.

There it is....DONT TELL ME THAT THE CANADIAN SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY DOESNT EXIST!!!

 

[Northboy]

For those who say that a distinctive school of Canadian philosophy doesnt exist, I will present you with three names:
1)George Grant
2)Marshal McCluhan
3)John Ralston Saul

I am no expert on philosophy, but then again, can an ''expert'' on philosophy even exist?
Philosophy is ethically and humanly driven----we are all philosophers.
So, what unites these three men---and what is Canadian philosophy?
Ethically motivated, organically textured, and criticism of status quo liberalism.
Witness Grant's lament over liberalisms scientific, progressive victory over the conservative worlview......McCluhan's critique of modern media....and Saul's lambasting over apparently ''rational'' man's superiority over everything that came before.

There it is....DONT TELL ME THAT THE CANADIAN SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY DOESNT EXIST!!!

I agree with you that there is a Canadian Philosophy.

I think it has something to do with our winters, adherence to the cycle of the seasons and all that.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Well... okay, I won't tell you there's no Canadian School of Philosophy, and I'd agree there is a uniquely Canadian perspective that is perhaps well exemplified by those three thinkers, but I'm inclined to doubt that it's organized and distinctive enough to justify calling it a school. I've read much of McLuhan and Saul, nothing of Grant, and my perception of them is that they're distinguished thinkers who happen to be Canadians rather than uniquely Canadian thinkers. For that kind of thing I think you have to go into the works of artists like Mordecai Richler and Margaret Atwood, whose works are often explicitly rooted in Canadian culture. Saul in particular does draw philosophical and ethical lessons from certain events in Canadian history, but the lessons I think are universally applicable to any state that would like to call itself a modern liberal democracy, they're not uniquely Canadian except that many of the examples he chooses to illustrate his points happened here. He could have chosen similar examples from the history of any modern state and his arguments would have the same force. He becomes uniquely Canadian only when he argues--cogently and correctly I think--that those events were uniquely formative of contemporary Canadian culture, and associates them with values like collectivism, tolerance, and accommodation.

Most people, however, will not agree with you until there's officially a School of Canadian Philosophy at the University of Toronto. And I think you should add Harold Innis to your list.

 

[NorthrnMystique]

Its not so much a question of institutions drawing the bounds but of people in their philosophic state of mind actually seeing the Canadian condition and perspective from its natural standpoint.

The best trees are those whose roots spring from the wild, not in a hydroponics shed.

 

[NorthrnMystique]

I agree with you that there is a Canadian Philosophy.

I think it has something to do with our winters, adherence to the cycle of the seasons and all that.

The winter in the Canadian mindset is the equivalent of the Outback (or just sheer oppressive climate!) in the Australian mind.