philosopher's groupies?

Also, I saw "Grizzly Man" last night. Not so good really. Lots of awkward sounding crazy people, not least of which was the the director guy Werner Herzog. Tim Treadwell (the guy who lived with the bears and he ans his girlfriend were subsequently eaten by one) was completely whacko. No doubt about it. I also seriously disagree with his attitude toward wilderness and wilderness management. However, he was a pretty good filmaker if for no other reason than that he did live amongst lots of big brown bears for a long time. Some incredible footage of the landscape, the foxes, and definately the bears. The music was pretty good too. All composed just for the movie I guess.

So anyway, I was reading this article in the New York Times about Saul Kripke's 65th birthday celebration in NYC. First, I think it's great how a philosoper is getting serious press coverage in the NY Times. However, the reporter makes it seem like it was some sort of performance, that philosophy is somehow an art:

"The whole performance was a little like a Charlie Parker sax solo, one of the those extended improvs with the freewheeling, rolling rhythms, the repeated notes, the screeching, dissonant chords, and like Parker's more experimental music, much of it soared right over the head of anyone who had not heard this kind of stuff before."

I wish it was. But unfortunately, the reality of the situation is typically a little more drab...and rather technical...and can be really fucking boring if you're not interested in the material.

But it is promising to know that philosophers can have groupies, especially Rutger's groupies. I wonder if they're naturalists?

"Afterward, Mr. Kripke graciously endured a small onslaught of groupies...and two graduate students from Rutgers, Karen Lewis and Jessica Retz, who had taken the train in from New Brunswick so they could snap each other's picture with the great man. Ms. Lewis explained that it was her birthday too, and that the photo session was her present to herself. 'You're my favorite 20th-century philosopher," she said to Mr. Kripke. "I'm so excited!'"