29 April 2010

Dear Colleagues

I’m writing to urge you to reconsider the decision, of which I have just learned, to close all Philosophy programmes at Middlesex. Even in these difficult and dismaying times, I must say I was genuinely astonished to hear of this decision. The stature of Philosophy at Middlesex is exceptionally high, many of its staff being researchers and scholars of the first rank internationally. In my own work, for example, the research of Professors Hallward and Osborne is an absolute reference-point, and I know that other Middlesex philosophers enjoy a similar reputation in their fields. Anecdotally, just a few weeks ago, I wrote a reference recommending a postgraduate student for the MA in Philosophy and Contemporary Critical Theory at Middlesex – he had embarked on Master’s study here but (rightly, I think) felt that the course was not quite geared towards his philosophical interests, and I was confident he was applying to one of the very best Departments in the UK for the kind of cutting-edge philosophical training he was seeking. The work of your Philosophy Department brings nothing but credit to Middlesex University (not to mention income, I’d have thought, given their success in the RAE and in PG recruitment). Please reconsider.

Sincerely

Ian Maclachlan
Fellow and Tutor in French
Merton College
Oxford OX1 4JD
01865 276322