Katie Ebner-Landy is currently completing a PhD in Intellectual History at Queen Mary University of London, before she joins Harvard’s Society of Fellows in July. Her thesis examines a tradition of reading character-sketches as moral and political philosophy in early modern Europe, and her postdoctoral project plans to investigate and critique liberal approaches to the ethical and political value of literature.
What are you working on right now?
At the moment, I am in the very final stages of writing my thesis: facing the conclusion next week. Everything feels, slowly but surely, that it is coming together, especially with the conclusion representing an opportunity to combine my work in intellectual history with a set of theoretical questions, asking what the tradition of reading literary character sketches as philosophy might have to offer us today. Of course, as when doing any big project, half of my brain is dreaming of what is next, which in the immediate term involves bringing together a co-edited volume in French on literature and philosophy, entitled Les morales des histoires [‘The Moral of the Story’].
What topic do you think is under explored in philosophy?
The kind of philosophy that excites me most is a philosophy of the everyday – something that first drew me to the philosophy of mores in early modern Europe, a context in which philosophers were just as interested in questions about the nature of the good, as they were in blushing, in social rivalries and in the problem of our passions. I often find it hard to locate this kind of focus in contemporary or twentieth-century philosophy, a terrain that has come to be more occupied by literature. There are of course some striking exceptions: Georg Simmel’s incredible essays on fashion, flirting and desire immediately come to mind.
What’s your personal philosophy?
That everything can be philosophical! Or, more precisely, that nothing is ever dull; that everything is worthy of investigation and can be made to come alive by the right kind of conversation.
What time of day are you most creative?
I think this is perhaps one of the questions I discuss most with fellow PhD students, with each of us dogmatic about having recently found the best solution, before changing our minds about it a month later… At the moment, I work best in the late afternoon/early evening, when the light is most perfect: this for me is the window of what a dear friend calls “the good writing”, and my sister calls “the golden hours”. In trusting this brief slice of time, I always have two things in mind: a professor who told me that the one piece of advice she wished she’d had during her PhD was to learn when you work best, and follow this instinct; and a lovely interview I once heard with the philosopher Michel Serres, who was adamant on the need to go out in the evening, once your work at the library is done.
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
Never turn your nose up at therapy. Understanding yourself, as the oldest Western philosophers knew so well, is key to understanding so much else: in philosophy, in love, in friendship and in life.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
