T.S. Eliot’s Philosophy Years (1910-18): What are we missing?

T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) did not simply study philosophy but pursued a career as a professional academic philosopher: his ‘philosophy years’ (1910-18, age 22-30). This is not widely known (philosophers have almost entirely ignored it). Where known, the significance is not well appreciated (life writers and critics have downplayed or misread Eliot’s philosophizing). Where appreciated, not much is done with this knowledge. This talk will use a focused example—Eliot’s use of ‘unreal’—to make a start at answering three related issues: (a) Was Eliot a promising philosopher? What did philosophy miss by his jumping ship (if he did…)? Did Eliot achieve enough for us to be able to tell? (b) Was Eliot’s philosophizing of significance to his poetry? What do we miss if we do not work through it, as philosophers? (c) Was Eliot’s philosophizing of significance to his literary criticism? What do we miss if we do not work through it, as philosophers? We will set aside mainly biographical issues like: ‘How important in Eliot’s own life was his academic career in philosophy?’ and ‘What would Eliot have missed had he not pursued that career as far as he did?’