The Mystery of the Millionaire Metaphysician

The search for an amateur philosopher who anonymously paid university professors thousands of dollars to review his work:

“The institute’s letter claimed that a ‘very substantial sum’ had been earmarked to help contribute to ‘the revival of traditional metaphysics.’ Given the number of philosophers involved, that sum was at least in the neighborhood of $125,000. Who could afford to spend that much money on philosophy? And of those who could, who would want to? No one had a clue.

“To judge from both the reviewer’s contract and ‘Coming to Understanding’ itself, the institute meant business. For one thing, the manuscript, signed by one A.M. Monius, suggested the handiwork of a serious thinker—not a prankster. ‘It didn’t seem like a joke,’ Zimmerman says. ‘It wasn’t that funny. It was clearly the work of a fairly able writer—a smart person, one capable of making some gross philosophical errors while at the same time having some clever ideas.'”

Source: Lingua Franca
Published: Jul 1, 2001
Length: 22 minutes (5,644 words)
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