A MEETING WITH JOHN SEARLE
ANIL MITRA, 1996
I am sitting in a nice
Berkeley sandwich and espresso bar. I am thinking about the significance of the
meeting I had yesterday with John Searle. I have a sense something important
has happened… learning about myself, personal transformation and realization
and, yes, meeting Searle. I had realized the previous evening, that it would be
worth writing a short account of the event. As I sip my double espresso, I
decide to write immediately, sitting here at a table, in the nice well-lit
Berkeley espresso bar at the corner of Center and Oxford Streets
My objectives were to
make contact, show Searle my brief essay Problems of Consciousness, and
open up possibilities for communication, mutual work. I had in mind the
possibility, as a secondary outcome, of a paid position
My approach to meetings
and contact in the past has been to plan a campaign – a tour, meeting with a
number of people at a number of places and institutions; to learn about the
persons and places; to prepare a presentation of myself, my work, possibilities
to discuss… to prepare intensely
Once prepared, however,
there is no commitment to the plan or, necessarily, anything systematic…
spontaneity of mood and approach… professional contact balanced with the human
element and charm… solid work and capability balanced with excitement… openness
to possibility and opportunity… allowing, being open to the unexpected…
developing a relationship. Turning nervousness and anticipation into energy and
advantage
I’d arrived in Berkeley
the night before, eaten a disappointing meal at Sujatha’s Indian restaurant,
had some kind of reaction to the food, the beer, or the gas heat in the motel
room. I felt a skin irritation throughout the night. Although the setting was
immaculate, I wondered if there were fleas in the room – I woke up feeling
tired, my eyes were puffy. I felt lethargic. John Searle, Professor of Philosophy
at the Berkeley campus of the University of California, is regarded as an
authority on The Philosophy of Mind, on Consciousness… but I did not feel
nervousness. I did not feel the anticipation that I felt when I left my home in
Arcata, California. Two strong cups of coffee did not help. The self-confidence
I have developed as a result of my experience and thought was working to my
disadvantage: I could not, did not feel the motivation to pull my resources
together
Of course I wanted to
make contact. I was in the somewhat paradoxical situation of not caring as much
as I wanted to care. I decided that I should reflect on what I needed to do. I
stopped activity, thought, and sat silent. Soon I knew what to do. I would use
my mood to advantage. Since I could not feel the alert anticipation that I wanted,
I would approach the meeting with John Searle I would desire or anticipation.
My approach would be one of not wanting or caring about a successful meeting.
“Meet Searle and see what happens,” I thought. In this way I would, at least,
overcome the uncomfortable lack of motivation. Of course, there would be no
disrespect or cavalier behavior for that was not the intention
I made a list of items to
discuss: my background, its pertinent and unusual features; that I had followed
his work and had recently read his review article in the New York Review of
Books; my essay on Problems of Consciousness as – in part – reaction
to his review; the salient features of my essay; that I was reading his 1992
book The Rediscovery of the Mind and
that it addressed some, though not all, of my problems; that I was still
learning – of course; that I would like to communicate with him, perhaps work
together on philosophy and consciousness
I dialed Searle’s number
“Hello”
“Is this John Searle?”
“Yes”
“My name is Anil Mitra.
I’d like to meet with and talk to you”
“About what?”
“Your work in philosophy
and consciousness”
“Why don’t you come to my
office hours on Tuesday or Thursday at 2-3:30 PM?”
“Unfortunately, I’m in
town only until tomorrow”
“I’m going skiing
tomorrow if the weather clears up. Why don’t you come by now? I’ll be here for
half an hour”
“I’m on University
Avenue. How do I get there?”
“Find Campanelli Tower on
campus. I’m in Moses Hall. It’s a small building next to Campanelli. My office
is Room 148”
“I’ll be there”
Something “bit me.” I
felt the energy I wanted to feel. I dressed quickly, but neatly. I knew that my
approach would be one of alertness, interest, and openness to the outcome. I
wore perfume and a leather jacket. I collected a copy of my article, my résumé,
a raincoat, my guidebook to the Bay area, street maps, other items I might
need, and left the motel. I drove to campus. I might invite him out for a beer
I found parking as near
to campus as I could. I knew my energy was good, just from the way I parked
It was late afternoon and
stormy. The gray rain clouds, rain, the wind, made the campus especially
exciting and beautiful. I felt exhilarated as I walked across campus. I
wondered whether Professor Searle would still be there. I found Moses Hall.
Walking the hallways, looking for Room 148, I met an attractive woman
“Do you know where Room
148 is?”
“I’m new here. I don’t
know my way around”
“That makes two of us”
She made a witty comment
but I did not have the energy or wit or inclination to return it. I felt bad at
ignoring her warmth. I was conserving energy
Searle was in his office
conferring with his research assistant, an attractive woman about 35
“Meet my research
assistant. Sit down here”
John Searle was quiet, soft
spoken, courteous, yet detached. He allowed me to direct the conduct of the
meeting. Introduced myself, my background, my interest and writing in
philosophy and consciousness, my familiarity with his work through reading… his
famous Chinese Room Argument against functionalism… I talked about my
reaction to his New York Review of Books
article, that I thought that proper definition of consciousness and
identification of its problems were indeed issues, that my essay addressed
these issues and listed and discussed ten
interrelated problems; that I realized that his work had addressed some of
these issues, that I was interested in interacting with him, that I would leave
him a copy of my essay and of my résumé
“I can’t promise that
I’ll read the essay. Here’s a book that I received recently. It is called Ten Problems of Consciousness. The author
is Michael Tye of Temple University. He’s good”
“I’m not familiar with
him. I haven’t heard of his book”
I took the initiative to
read out my problems to him. I omitted the sub problems
“Your set of problems is
more interesting, more complete. He is too involved with minute issues of
current academic philosophy”
Searle showed me a copy
of a book he was writing, The Mystery of
Consciousness. He had been invited to write an expanded version of his New York Review of Books essay
I told Searle that I had
excerpted some quotes from his essay and that together with comments these
constituted an appendix to my essay. The quotes were from the philosophical
preliminary to his article
“I’ll read that. It will
be useful”
We continued to talk. I’d
taught engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and at Humboldt State
University. I was currently working at Humboldt County Mental Health. It was
another “window” into the mind. We talked about the mental health system in
California. He was looking forward to skiing
I directed him to the
address and phone number on my résumé. I urged him to contact me if interested
“Thanks. Good to have met
you”
I remembered him from his
likeness to a pen sketch I had seen in a review by Thomas Nagel of Searle’s The
Rediscovery of Mind. I forgot to invite him for a beer. I would follow up
with a letter and a phone call. I would present myself better in the future. It
takes practice and doing. My approach is not one of making promises I cannot or
will not keep; it is one of showing the actual promise in its best light… of
making the best happen between the world and myself
ANIL MITRA
January 1996
Berkeley, California