Bio: Rami El Ali works on the philosophy of perception, technology, and phenomenology. He is currently pursuing a second PhD focusing on virtual reality at the University of Arizona’s School of Information. He was previously associate professor and head of the philosophy program at the Lebanese American University, and a graduate from the University of Miami’s Department of Philosophy.
Website: https://ramielali.com
What are you working on right now?
These days a lot of my focus is on virtual reality (VR), and in particular the sense of presence in VR. Coming from the philosophy of perception, and with a particular interest in the problems raised by misperception, I find VR irresistibly interesting. Perceptual experiences in VR share features with veridical, illusory, and hallucinatory experiences, highlight facets like the sense of presence, and are much easier to manipulate than other misperceptual phenomena, like dreams and hallucinations. I’m currently learning to work with VR empirically in a second PhD in Information, completing a monograph on perception that discusses VR, and writing papers on some of VR’s metaphysical, aesthetic, and ethical aspects.
What topic do you think is under-explored in philosophy?
If I had to pick one, it would be pacifism. I think that philosophy has given in too easily to the project of justifying war. And this is very often against a background of not understanding the full implications of living through war. I think a complete peace is achievable, we just haven’t taken the idea seriously enough.
What do you like to do outside work?
Outside philosophy, I am interested in social justice, digital technology, and the arts. After graduating in 2014, I took a post in Beirut, Lebanon, where I’m originally from. Because of the many social difficulties the country was facing, between 2014 and 2019, I invested a lot of my free time in activism. I worked with various grassroots political movements on municipal and parliamentary campaigns that sought to offer an alternative to the long-standing political players in Lebanon. Although we had a meaningful impact, unfortunately, our project ultimately failed because of the deeply entrenched political structures that have since further destabilized the country. Though I remain committed to social justice, these days my approach is more roundabout. I can now build virtual worlds, so I like to use these to address social justice issues in a more artistic way. I think this is better for me because I have no political aspirations.
What is your favorite film of all time? (Or top 3). Why? To whom would you recommend them?
I love movies, so I can’t choose one (or three) favorites. But I can pick out three movies I love. One is Last Year at Marienbad. I love this movie for what it does visually. I’m a big fan of perceptual illusions, and no movie I’ve seen is inspired by illusions to the same extent as this one. Not just visually, but the flow of time in this movie is feverish, and its theme addresses some illusions in love. Another is Barry Lyndon. Aside from its shots, and music, which are artworks on their own, I think the distanced perspective this movie portrays on the individual’s life is valuable. I also think that keeping this sort of perspective in mind in our day-to-day ongoings helps us see the world better. A final movie is Aguirre, Wrath of God. Its setting is mesmerizingly noisy, Klaus Kinski’s performance is phenomenal, and I think the movie’s historical setting is worth remembering because we’re the inheritors of that cruelty. I particularly recommend this movie to those teaching Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morality, it’s a good piece to show students reading the essays.
Who do you think is the most overrated/underrated philosopher?
I’m sure there are many worth mentioning, but I’m going to pick Emmanuel Levinas as an underrated philosopher. The analytic tradition has addressed his work only marginally, and within phenomenology, he seems to me much less in focus when compared to other phenomenologists. But I think that Levinas’ work is genuinely insightful. I only know Totality and Infinity well, but that’s a profound philosophical work, both in its construal of our relation to the world, and others. And although I think Levinas ultimately fails to provide the moral picture he sought, his attempt is admirable and powerful. Certainly, coming from an Arab background in today’s world, I find that his work captures something deeply relevant to my experience.
What’s your top tip or advice for APA members reading this?
I can share some advice with the APA’s international members. I think that academic philosophy today is, inadvertently or not, organized in such a way that it systematically excludes those of us not from the English-speaking world, or the Western world more broadly. The constitution of philosophy departments is a testament to this. And this is happening through many gestures, acts, and systems that de facto marginalize and exclude. Against this background, I’d like to say this to international members, especially students, and early career researchers: some of the rules you’ll be given may work for others but not for you, and sometimes you’ll be given the wrong advice altogether. Keep in mind your context when listening to others, because often they won’t be factoring in that context. You’ll also encounter attitudes that you’ll find presumptive, exclusionary, and odd, but which are treated as normal. But they’re not normal, just widespread. Most importantly, know that academic philosophy is not the same as philosophy. Academic philosophy is an institutional form that teaches the philosophical method, and this method is worth learning. But academic philosophy also sometimes positively recommends being non-philosophical to remain or become an academic philosopher. So, don’t let its attitudes dictate the meaning of the life you choose to commit to.
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 to nominate yourself or a friend.
Smrutipriya Pattnaik
Smrutipriya Pattnaik, Ph.D. in Social and Political Philosophy from IIT Indore, India serves as the Teaching Beat and Work/Life Balance editor for the APA Blog. Her research delves into utopia, social imagination, and politics, with a focus on the aftermath of socialist experiments on Liberal-Capitalist-Democratic societies. Currently authoring "Politics, Utopia, and Social Imagination."
