29 April 2010

Dear Ed Esche

I have heard that the Centre for research in modern european philosophy at Middlesex is to be closed.

This strikes me as more than strange. It is one of the most interesting ventures of the last years.

Concerning art and philosophy, it is also one of the more credible links, which really brings thinkers and artists together on springing points of their work.

I won’t go further, you probably know all this as well as I do. So what on earth could motivate an anti-intellectual, anti-art move such as closing a whole center on short notice? What will become of the students, the teachers, the collective work?

In my country, France, we admire the Centre for its rigour and coherence, we read the review Radical Philosophy with great interest, we sometimes wistfully think we could do as well.

I would therefore like to ask you to back down on this unjust decision and consider again what is to be done in the coming years.

You know the American joke:

He ‘s a Harvard man
Yeah but that’s all he is.

The people I know at Middlesex are great scholars…..

Sincerely yours

Antonia Birnbaum
Department of Philosophy

University of Paris 8 (Vincennes),