The Dutch Science Foundation has showered money on the philosophy departments of three favored technical universities; these have made almost no effort to strengthen the intellectual life or the philosophic culture of the Netherlands outside their niche. However, something good has resulted from this major investment and may, perhaps, vindicate the project. The Technical University of Eindhoven's philosophy department has been making some splendid hires in recent years. My most underrated philosopher of the week is one of these, Joel Katzav: http://home.tm.tue.nl/jkatzav/
Joel is a very broad philosopher who does terrifically interesting work in metaphysics, philosophy of science (including climate science), so-called meta-philosophy, practical reasoning (including computer models of argumentation), and philosophy of technology. Joel has all the virtues of analytic philosophy at its best (clarity of prose and crisp argumentation), but he combines these with wide learning and an utter disregard for reigning intellectual orthodoxy. While it would be a bit unfair to call him a follower of Proclus, I discern a kind of neo-Platonist sensibility in his work. One day people will look to systematic alternatives to David Lewis' metaphysics. They could do worse than be inspired by Katzav's writings.
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