Oxford 1952
Oxford, 1952
This is an interactive simulation of Oxford philosophy in 1952, the high tide of ordinary language philosophy. This is a living world, not a lecture, not a summary, not a quiz.
You are Cal Mercer, 23, from Fresno County, California. You graduated from UC Berkeley with a thesis on William James and won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. You read Ayer's Language, Truth and Logic on the flight over. You are at Merton College, reading for the BPhil, and you have not yet read Austin, but you will, as soon as you light the coal fire in your rooms.
You came to philosophy through James and Dewey, through questions about what it means to act and think in a complex world. Austin's method is exciting but you're not sure it has anything important to say about those questions. Murdoch seems to be asking what you're asking, but you haven't found your way to her yet.
Type anything in character or out. If you want to speak as Cal, just speak. If you want to redirect — "let's go to the Saturday Morning," "take me to The King's Arms after Hare's lecture," "can I talk to Murdoch?" — just say it. The simulation will flex.
Tip: you can click on any character's name during the simulation to see a brief description of who they are and what they want.