Designing Your Life

I ‘attended’ a presentation by Story Musgrave, the astronaut, on “Designing your life” or some such similar topic. While I wasn’t overly impressed with his general rambling presentation style, I was very impressed with the message that threaded throughout his story. I took several keys away from the presentation.

The value of curiosity

The first takeaway was the importance of curiosity in achieving an effective life. From high school drop out, he went on to earn a BS in math and statistics, MBA in operations analysis and computer programming, BA in chemistry, MD, and MS in physiology and biophysics within an 8 year period. He would later earn an MA in literature. To me, the broad range of areas, as much as the time frame for these accomplishments, says a great deal. He explored the areas that interested him. He committed himself to those areas. Most students today would be counseled to choose a singular path and follow it. Yet, the life he built for himself was one based on the intersections of his interests. Each area of interest exposed him to ideas that he wanted to explore further and so he did.
By not limiting himself to a given field, he opened up new avenues for self expression and provided himself the skills to create new opportunities.

Some Thoughts on Philosophy

So, I’ll begin this treatise with a question: What is philosophy? And perhaps another, just to follow on that, why is philosophy important?

To take things in order, my simple answer to the question of what is philosophy is to say that it is, generally, the creed by which one lives one’s life. I think the dominance of big names in the field – Nietzsche, Hume, Watts Marx, and so many others – and the deep, convoluted and difficult writings that these big names have produced have left most people with the impression that philosophy requires deep, almost mystical thought on very esoteric subjects. And, from my readings, I think there’s sufficient evidence that this impression is not wholly inaccurate. But, the depths of thought that the writings of these great names reveal are, I believe, the exceptions rather than the rule of philosophy.

How Social Filters Impact an Educated Response

One of the hallmarks of the well-educated person is, I think, the ability and willingness to explore all sides of an issue before making a decision. Unfortunately, it seems that few people, even those who are, in fact, well-educated, truly take the time to explore an issue before taking a stance on it. And, to a large extent, I get it. It’s hard to do. It’s hard, not only because it takes time and effort, but because we are bombarded by so much information from so many different sources and on so many different topics that it is difficult to winnow out the wheat from the chaff. What is important? What should I be concerned with? What issues can I reasonably relegate to secondary or tertiary concern and on which should I focus my attention?

The First Thing Every College Should Do For Its Students

For some time now I’ve argued that colleges and universities have dropped the ball on one of the most important preparatory steps in attending college: Defining what a college education is all about.

Students often go to college without a clear conception of what they’re supposed to be getting from the experience.  They go because college has become the “thing you do” after high school.  Like their secondary education, they never really stop to think about why they’re going, or what the benefits are. More importantly, many students see college as simply an extension of their secondary education. That is, learning without an express purpose other than “I’ll need to know this someday.”

#No, In Fact I Don’t Like Social Media

Well, the title really says it all: I don’t like social media. The reasons, though, need some explanation.

I believe that social interaction and the sharing of ideas is an important part of life and, particularly, of learning. Engaging in thoughtful, thought-provoking conversations allows us to to explore more fully our own thinking, to consider the thoughts of others, and find in the mix a fuller, more well-developed sense of the world around us. For many years — perhaps hundreds — sitting with friends and debating the issues of the day was a common means of passing the time. Conversations no doubt got heated at times, and I’m sure more than few feelings got hurt. But, at the end of the day, they remained friends and may have developed a deeper appreciation for the knowledge and thoughts each held. And this, I think, is what the vision of social media started out to be.