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This is a thread about potential roles for commentators at conference talks.
I would like to remind/emphasize to philosophers that offering objections is only one of the many interesting and valuable things commentators can do.
I would like to remind/emphasize to philosophers that offering objections is only one of the many interesting and valuable things commentators can do.
I think there's some tacit social knowledge of this already. Certainly I've seen some commentators do some useful things besides give objections. But they sometimes act apologetic about it, like they think they're "supposed" to object. Not so! (imo)
And while some of the things I'll list below are sometimes done, there are also some that I never or almost never see people doing in their comments. I'd like to!
(I am agnostic on the applicability of/need for this advice in fields other than philosophy. I don't know those cultures well enough to write a thread about them. Others knowledgable about those fields should feel free to weigh in!)
OK so here's a list of things you can do in your commentary! Some of these are obvious but maybe some of them will be helpful to notice as options.
OBJECTION. "A argues that P; here's why that argument is uncompelling, and/or, here's my argument against P."
Everyone knows this one's an option. But it's only one option.
Everyone knows this one's an option. But it's only one option.
OBJECTION WITH ALTERNATIVE. "A argues that P; but the argument is consistent with Q or P, and I think Q better captures A's motivations here."
Better, but still quite negative.
Better, but still quite negative.
OBJECTION AND REPLY. "One might argue thus against A, but that argument won't work for this reason."
EXIGETICAL CHALLENGE. "A argued against B, saying that P. But here's why I don't think B is really committed against P, I think you may be agreeing after all."
CLARIFICATION. "A said that 'S'. This is actually ambiguous between P and Q; here's what each option would look like, and some advantages and disadvantages for each. Which did A mean?"
These are all still pretty standard but I'm just getting going!
These are all still pretty standard but I'm just getting going!
STRENGTHEN. "A gave three arguments for P. Here is a fourth. Notice that it is nonredundant, since some ways of resisting As arguments would make resisting this one harder."
HIDDEN VIRTUE. "A's argument for P has unusual virtue V. This is a really good feature for arguments to have! Let me show you how useful V can be for other kinds of arguments, perhaps including arguments in other areas."
ANALOGY (IMPORT) "A's move is in topic X. Topic X is interestingly similar to unrelated topic Y, with parallel ideas and moves happening in each. The analogue of A's move in Y has such-and-such advantages and disadvantages, which may carry over to A's move here."
ANALOGY (EXPORT) "A's move is in topic X, which is parallel to Y. The analogue of A's move in Y would be totally novel there! Here's what that would look like. This would be a good contribution to that literature!"
GO FURTHER "A argues that P. I think the arguments are good, but actually push much further. We shouldn't just accept P, we should accept stronger claim Q! Or: we should also accept P in these other domains!"
LITERATURE SUGGESTIONS "Here are some related papers that would interact in interesting ways with A's project."
CONTEXT IMPLICATIONS "A answers question Q. A didn't discuss this, but here's why Q has been an important question, and how it connects to bigger issues. Let's work out the implications of A's answer for those broader matters."
OK I'll stop listing for now but I might add some more if I think of them. Others should feel free to add your own suggestions too!
I have nothing against objections, I just think commentators should be more creative about what the most interesting contribution they can make is!
I have nothing against objections, I just think commentators should be more creative about what the most interesting contribution they can make is!
One thing to say about all of these — one might worry about going off-topic and being self-indulgent. That is a reasonably worry, but the answer to is is to make sure that you're still engaging with the details of the talk itself a lot. This is possible for all of these forms.
