None other than Norman Lowell has been invited by the Philosophy Sharing Foundation to give a guest lecture on philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche next month.
Asked this week why Mr Lowell had been chosen to deliver a talk on Nietzsche despite not having any recognized philosophical credentials the Foundation’s Dr Mark Montebello, a Dominican priest, commented, “Speakers need not be professional philosophers. Suffice that they are well-read and knowledgeable in the subject they present, approach it professionally, and offer some stimulating thoughts.”
He added that the Foundation is assured that “Mr Lowell is a connoisseur of Nietzsche” and insisted that the talk will not be political, and that Nietzsche will be approached from a purely philosophical point of view.
Mr Lowell has, however, invoked Nietzsche’s philosophies often to justify his controversial socio-political opinions. In a recent interview with rightist Croatian newspaper ‘Ultimatum!’, he was asked: “How do you interpret Nietzsche, this great spirit that is situated over the whole 20th century Right, what do you think would be his view of our miserable present and his guidelines for our – to use a shabby leftist word – ‘better future’?”
Mr Lowell’s response was one of great praise for the philosopher, recalling how he had “wept uncontrollably while reading Zarathustra ”. He claimed that “Imperium Europa, at least the Elite, the guardians of the Imperium, would carry on Nietzsche’s philosophy”.
University of Malta philosophy lecturers Dr Jean-Paul De Lucca and Prof Michael Zammit were somewhat less than complimentary when asked for their opinions on Mr Lowell’s upcoming philosophical discourse.
Dr De Lucca said he was “baffled” and that he has no idea why Mr Lowell had been chosen, “other than the fact that they might have thought of it as ‘provocative’ or ‘controversial’ in the shallowest sense of the terms.”
Dr De Lucca went on to say that rather than “popularisation”, which is the main aim of the Philosophy Sharing Foundation, this was a case of “banalisation”. He said that if he wanted to learn anything about Nietzsche, he would want someone who was qualified to do the teaching, adding: “As far as I’m aware, Mr Lowell has no training in philosophy nor has he ever published anything about Nietzsche in reputable publications. For this reason, and quite irrespective of his well-known views, I find the choice of Mr Lowell rather unappealing.”
Prof Zammit took an even harsher tone, saying he was “shocked” and “insulted”, and that he “cannot fathom why ‘Philosophy Sharing’ would even contemplate this dark association” with what he went on to call “the shameless and uncouth public persona of Mr Lowell and his dismal drivel”. He did however imply he wouldn’t be surprised if the lecture was “a sort of success promoting further the narrow minded agenda of fools” justifying this comment by referencing to how the general public has always relished “opinions and the opinionated” which, he went on to add, the media have been exploiting for years.
Prof Zammit also echoes Dr De Lucca’s sentiment about learning about Nietzsche: “I would rather have Nietzsche himself speak his exquisite mind if I wished to know it rather than allow Norman to sully such beautiful philosophy with his hateful and biased brand of droll.”
Prof Claude Mangion, Head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Malta added that he thoroughly agreed with his colleagues, but did not give any further reaction.
The Philosophy Sharing Foundation is a foundation which claims to be based on the late Prof Peter Serracino Inglott’s concept to have a platform for philosophy to be shared and discussed with the general public, rather than on a purely intellectual basis.