An overdue introduction

Howdy,

I've been posting quite a bit recently, and I had never really planned to formally introduce myself with a thread, but after some thought I have decided that it is perhaps intellectually unfair to never do so. If one does not understand a who and what a person is, then one cannot possibly understand that person's positions...

Hello, I am Hydeman. I am many things, including young, naive, and inexperienced, but I am also a student of geology in rural Appalachia. Growing up, I was deeply moved by the beauty of the nature I saw around me, and my education in science has only compounded the beauty I now see around me. I pity those who have never seen rural Appalachia as much as I envy those who live in large cities for their unique lifestyle.

Now, as I said, I study geology, being a rising senior in an established geology program, of which I have taken course on petrography, petrology, hydrogeology, soil science, paleobiology of marine invertebrates, and countless others that are unnecessary for my degree (such is the extent of my love and fascination for geology). I've also studied some psychology and sociology, as well as literature and some philosophy. In essence, I've spent a lot of time trying to get a balanced understanding of my world, and will further spend a lot of time (and future wages) repaying my debts for this education.

As such, I have little but my education to my name. What I do have is a large collection of rocks with unique mineral assemblages or structural features and a large collection of Devonian trilobites that reflect the time that I have personally spent learning geology in the field, often in whatever free time I may have (such is the extent of my love and fascination for geology ).

So why am I here? I have a great desire to understand the world around me, to understand the people who inhabit it. I wish to learn from you all and in return I can offer you my limited experiences, my education (which some of you may feel is a form of brainwashing...), and my unique perspective as a human on this Earth which we share.

This introduction is really to show my intent as an ATS member. I wish to offer my perspective, the perspective of a sheep in the system of science education. I place great faith in the philosophy of science as a way to understand, model, and explain reality. As such, I intend to defend science when it is attacked and clarify misinterpretations when I see them and can offer my limited experiences. Above all, I intend to listen to others and learn from them, whether or not I agree with their conclusions or logic.

If anyone should have a question as to my motives, I do sincerely hope that this introduction clarifies my position and eases mutual understanding. I greatly enjoy this forum, and I've seen the diversity of the members in the community, and for that I am grateful for membership.

Sincere regards,
Hydeman

a reply to: hydeman11

Hello and welcome!!

Sounds like you thoroughly enjoy all your studies, and your rocks of course!

Look forward to your input in the threads!

I just wanted to post to say that another brain and the universe it encompasses is welcome. We need more of them most everywhere... and I don't really mean "smarts" so much as honest sharing of the parts to a whole.

Appalachian geology is cool. So is the rich sociology of the area.

But even if you were from a more usual, crowded area of the planet... welcome.

Besides, posting something like that and getting echoing silence makes me sad... and I, for one, am tired of "sad."

So woooppeeee!

Perhaps you could enlighten us about the underground stuff around your parts. We love the weird...

a reply to: cavtrooper7

I think you might be disappointed to hear the only underground stuff around my parts are Paleozoic rocks (some of which may contain natural gas) with a few caves. Truly the most remarkable things in those rocks are the fossils and some sulphides.

And thank you MissBeck and Baddogma, I appreciate the welcome and I hope I can share what I have to offer and learn from what is offered to me.

Regards,
Hydeman