On Wallace Stevens and José Benardete: There is more to philosophy

than arguments and positions. (Recall discussion about this recently on this blog.) Justin Smith reminds us of the poet-philosophers. In addition to his examples, T.S. Eliot and Henry More, one can add Santayana's three philosophical poets, Lucretius, Dante, and Goethe. Not to mention Milton and Wallace Stevens, both of whom are in regular discussion with Plato (among others). For serious philosophic engagement with Wallace Stevens (under the guise of Quine), see (my ex-colleague's) José Benardete important, ignored piece on metaphysics and poetry. To acknowledge this is not to diminish the importance of conceptual analysis, but the bullying and self-immolation (!) of those who wish to limit philosophy to conceptual analysis has to be stopped.