anecdote heard

From a reliable former student of Searle: “Searle said that the reason he got into philosophy was because he likes destroying people in arguments.”

There are actually some things I enjoy about Searle, but this isn’t one of them, if true (and who could doubt it?). There is no more reprehensible motivation for becoming involved with philosophy than the wish “to destroy other people in arguments”. If you’re that aggressive at the core, then why not just take up boxing or become a special forces commando? Just put your cards on the table and really destroy people.

Alas, philosophy as currently constituted has become a special refuge for the over-aggressive.