Roy Bhaskar, 1944-2014 - A short end note about a great philosopher of our time! Roy’s death was more of a shock to me than a surprise. He was obviously unwell and talked openly about it; but he was an intellectual force to the end, as much a catalyst for others as an author of originality and depth. I was never entirely at ease with critical realist evangelizing, nor with a close – I am tempted to add ‘closed’ – coterie of admirers and disciples (most of them talented in their own right as well as generous to ‘outsiders’). Maybe Roy’s guru-like appearance encouraged outsiders to stereotype those around him as ‘followers’; and maybe sociologists are particularly alert and resistant to intellectual fandom. Certainly he was destined to ‘marginalisation’ qua philosopher. There is an echo of LSE’s Popper here. Ayer (who did nothing much, but with incontrovertible Oxbridge eloquence) was compulsory, Popper optional
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 13:55:51 +0000