An Interview with Dr. Thi Nguyen
An Interview with Dr. Thi Nguyen
Diotima conducted an interview with Dr. C. Thi Nguyen, a philosophy professor at University of Utah. He writes about trust, art, games, and communities. His first book, Games: Agency as Art, was awarded the American Philosophical Association 2021 Book Prize.
Diotima: Some students are skeptical of the value of studying philosophy and instead pursue what they consider more practical majors. What do you consider the value of philosophy?
Nguyen: Philosophy teaches the art of reflection and critically active questioning. Most other disciplines tell you how to think; they can trap you in a particular mode of inquiry. Philosophy, at its best, gives you the tools to question whole mindsets, procedures – to step outside the framework you’ve been given. At it’s best, it’s creative, careful, and revolutionary. This is also why people often dislike it – it’s a deeply jarring practice.
Diotima: What was your experience like as a food writer? What, if any, intersections were there between your culinary adventures and your work in philosophy?
Nguyen: I got to do restaurant reviews for the LA Times during grad school. It used a muscle I thought was useless for philosophy – the careful, precise description of food glorious, visceral and full. But it turned out that skill was crucial when writing my book about the art form of games, because I had to make new, interesting games understandable and visceral to my audience.
Diotima: Why is public philosophy important, and what are some ways in which you think people can become more aware about philosophy?
Nguyen: Wittgenstein said that philosophy is like basically doing ordinary thinking, but more slowly . This is, I think, related to that first idea – that philosophy helps you get outside of things. The philosophical mindset, for me, is about not taking things for granted, not rushing onwards doing things the way
Volume VI (2023)
62
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker