Okay so this was a topic on a separate Philosophy forum that I belonged to that I wanted to start here because my post regarding Phenomenology introduced me to some wonderful people. The topic is, how did you get your start in Philosophy? Below is my whole story with the exception of a few current events. As for my start in Philosophy I always had an inclination towards intellectualism as opposed to athletics. Maybe this was because of my Cerebral Palsy or because of my insatiable curiosity when I was a child, or a combination of the two. Needless to say when I was a child while everyone else was reading Nancy Drew or GooseBumps I was reading books on Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday, etc. I was enamored with the scientific. What was an even greater passion at the time though, was pro wrestling. I had aspirations to be a play by play announcer and I was a die hard fan for eleven years. This dream however, saw very little support from my family. My Grandmother even compared it to the Mexican Drug Cartel. Couple that with a failed bid to do announcing for this independent federation and an increasing curiosity about Philosophy and the announcing dream had died. What really hooked me in to want to do Philosophy was the conversations I had with so many people. One of my earliest mentors named Lance Winslow, gave my sentiments a voice when he said Philosophy needed to be reinvigorated with new ideas and stop feeding off the carcasses of Eastern & Western thought. He had so much passion and conviction to this ideal and I really learned a lot from him. Unfortunately, we had a falling out when he learned I had Libertarian leanings and was attending the Porcfest festival in New Hampshire. He labeled me a radical and cut me off. However unlike pro wrestling I was undeterred and I kept plugging away. The moment that I knew Philosophy was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life? When I read Colin McGinns The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey Through Twentieth Century Philosophy that book is exceptional and I recommend it to anyone who is unsure if Philosophy is the right path for them. He was so passionate and was very in depth when detailing his road to becoming a Philosopher. I was hooked and even sought out Colin McGinn to thank him personally. He was one of my earliest inspirations and I cannot thank him enough for the inspiration and direction his book provided me. Upon embracing Philosophy wholeheartedly my next goal was to get published. I never had a formal education on Philosophy nor did I ever intend to. I wanted my career to be a testament to the fact that a great Philosopher is not preceded by a great degree in Philosophy. That even someone who just has the passion and desire to make a difference in the field and to achieve greatness in it was indeed capable. My first attempt at publication was in the form of an essay contest pertaining to The Value of Truth and was hosted by The Royal Institute of Philosophy in London. Suffice it to say, it was a failure. Then I submitted my Treatise on Political Philosophy.....Failure. My last attempt to date with them was a very formal looking paper critiquing Rawls and his Veil of Ignorance. The editor actually enjoyed the submission and agreed with most of what I wrote, but because I had not provided any sufficiently new commentary that submission too was a failure. In between these submissions I had an epiphany while at the Porcfest festival in New Hampshire that I discussed earlier. I had met Libertarian Philosopher Stefan Molyneux and had actually gathered up the courage to converse with him. He was one of the most gracious and insightful people you could meet. I was in awe at the network of Philosophy he created. From a podcast, to books, to lectures, this guy proved that Philosophy was still not just a respectable field but also a viable market. I aspired for something similar. Upon returning home I began my own brand known as Ferrum Intellectus which is Latin for Iron Intellect. I have a Blip, Issuu, Twitter, PhilPapers, and now this account all under that banner. Admittedly, the brand has not even begun to reach its full potential because of scholastic and family issues but I know the time will come when I can really cultivate the brand. Currently I decided to rest from the Institute and instead have sought publication with The Stone. The Stone is an opinion piece exclusively for Philosophy hosted by the New York Times. Like the Institute I have had three stints there all in futility yet I refuse to give up. I knew I loved Philosophy more than anything else for two reasons: 1.) Because I have been handed more failures in this field than I was during my announcing aspirations and I am still as hungry when I started. 2.) The Itch. Most times when you do a big project revolving around something you love you feel a sense of burnout afterwards. When I penned my critique of Rawls, it was 23 pages that resulted in failure. I felt like I needed a rest. After about a week of college (I typed the critique during my Winter Break) I wanted to jump right back in again carving out fresh theories and ideas. What keeps me motivated and the field interesting? Again two things. 1.) Legitimacy. I am hungrier than ever to see one of my essays published and my sight is locked and loaded on The Stone. To me, Philosophy is what I want to do for the rest of my life and to have someone validate that conviction and passion would be the end all be all for me. I feel I have grown so much in three years especially compared to my last account on this site. My time is near. That much I know. 2.) The Hunt. What do I mean by the hunt? The pursuit for the most elusive and prestigious game known as the truth. That is what matters at the end of the line and that is what I will pursue until my being withers to ash and I will do it without ever having been a slave to Academia. I will run the gamut of Philosophy and I will be one of the greatest of all time. Nothing has ever made me feel more alive and nothing ever will.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 23:26:15 +0000
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