Professional Academics: The Fuck?

In the Simpsons episode "Homer's Enemy" Marge and Homer have a conversation regarding Homer's attitude at work and how it is less than professional. Upon his decision to attempt to be more professional Homer states: "To Professionalism!" and then chugs a beer. I have taken this to be my operative mental image when anyone mentions academia and the professionalism therein.

I can understand a Medic or Engineer or Accountant engaging with reality as if it were a serious endeavor the purpose of which may be hidden within the clouds. I can understand it when laypeople, if I may use that expression, care about reality and their standing within it. What does not make any sense to me, at the moment, is how individuals who read Spinoza, Schelling, Socrates, and Leibniz can read these texts and then say, "Man, I totally need to increase the number of publications on my curriculum vitae."

There is a differentiation to be made between that which is and the appearances regarding that which is. At least, I would maintain that this is the case. If two people become married they sign a piece of paper and then enjoy co-ownership of their mutual possessions and have power of attorney for one another. These two individuals also have a deep yearning for one another and a bond which cannot be articulated in words.

Yet these are two perspectives upon one particular thing; one singular state of being. There is the fact of the matter and the interpretive illusion of the matter. Or, at least, that is what I would maintain at the moment.

One would think, or, at least, I would think, that this ability to differentiate appearances from the fact of the matter would be the sort of thing at which one who read philosophy would be adept. Yet professional philosophers, or those whose malodorous stench plagues the buildings of academia, seem to be just as mundane and illusory as accountants with regard to their knuckle-whitening embrace upon the stupid-ass bullshit people fabricate.

If one honestly and genuinely seeks wisdom and knowledge; if one truly desires to engage with the fact of the matter and Know that which Is...at what point does "grade" or "tenure" enter into the thought process?

Recently I have engaged in conversations regarding these issues with my peers in the department. Their position seems to be that Truth and Certainty are cute notions for undergrads to chase, but upon entering gradutate school one need abandon these childish notions and focus upon employment and publications. So, upon engaging philosophical inquiry at a higher level one must abandon philosophical inquiry and rather focus upon mundane bullshit? Really?

I understand, to a degree, the requirements of the professionalism of these disciplines...but I wonder at the same time if the professional philosophers are, in fact, sophists no better than those who sought to kill Socrates. If it was the case that in antiquity the sophists sought to kill Truth in the form of Socrates I am wondering if it is the case that in contemporary society the sophists who inhabit academia seek to kill inquiry and Truth in the form of, well, inquiry and Truth. If academia truly amounts to little more than subjective hoop jumping and the forming of relationships in order to lower the hoops...have we opted to play a game rather than do Philosophy?

The flip side of this position, or, rather, the evil twin of this position is the burnt-out hippy dipshit who says, "Man, like, you can't tell me I'm wrong...cause, man, i'm Real." Which is fine if we are working on Half Baked 2: The Rebonganing. But I think there a genuine and honest question to be asked about the degree to which the noose of professionalism chokes inquiry which is not founded upon pot.

If I do not care about the degree to which "there is a market" for someone who takes Leibniz seriously...am I incorrect or is "the market" incorrect? Is the foundation of truth within some "fact of the matter" external to the self or rather located within the self?

I do not have an answer. I am simply ranting. But I'm pretty fucking sick and tired of assholes telling me to stop caring about Truth and Certainty simply because they have declared these things to be either untenable or uninteresting.