A Bragging Introduction

Hello ATS,

As is most customary, I will now introduce myself so that hopefully we might have more of a relationship. The title might be misleading because I try to remain humble, but in the spirit of introductions I will try my best to give you some information about myself.

My main area of interest in both life and on ATS is Philosophy. This is what I received my BA in, and I am currently working on a MA in counseling. More specifically though, Existential Philosophy. Some of my favorites include, Nietzsche, Sartre, Beauvoir and Camus. I have personally written extensively on Existential principles in the Digital Age; Having freedom and responsibility on-line, and would be more than willing to share any of these abstract ideas if anyone is interested.

More personally I am a father to a beautiful daughter who encourages me everyday in humanity. She is a true wonder to our future. Her mother and I divorced years ago, but I believe it happened early enough in her life to not have an effect on her self-esteem. Well, enough about her. I have lived in the U.S. South, West-coast, and mid-West. I never made it to the North-East but it is on my to do list.

Now for the more controversial, which is why we are here right? A skeptic at heart, a scientist by nature, and a philosopher by soul, I want to find Truth (notice the capital "T"). However, it is my opinion that a good philosopher does not just immediately dismiss a premise without first finding a fallacious one. I am open-minded to all ideas, and respectful of all those that are self-aware. So without further ado, here is a quick synopsis of my thoughts on some of the more popular topics here.

Aliens; Given the extent of the universe, current astronomical observations and of course the Drake equation, I think it is very possible that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. That is all I am willing to say based on my condition.

Ghosts and the paranormal; I've never had a personal experience with this so I remain skeptical for now, however, I am not naive enough to think that I am not naive.

Government Conspiracies; 9/11 was a tough time for me, as I was in high-school at the time and still developing a lot of who I am today. With that said, I maintain a personal principle that responsibility comes from individual actions and their effects. After all, I am human and my opinions change on this topic from time to time, so I probably won't spend much time here.

Religion and Philosophy; Okay, here is where I'll let the cat of the box... hehe. As an Existential philosopher I start with the understanding of a finite existence. Temporality is very important to any ontology, and thus it should be said that the past is no longer, the future is yet be, and the present is an infinitely divisible moment that flees the self-aware mind. But if you were to stop there, nihilism or solipsism would be an easy avenue to follow so I'll continue. Freedom as understood by Beauvoir speaks to me, the acknowledgment of the other taken with responsible action is what I try to follow. I can never understand or know your condition, but none-the-less I can acknowledge you have a condition similar to mine. My ethos is allowing for the maximum amount of freedom between individuals and personal acceptance of responsibility given that actions have consequences. If you ever feel that something I said or did here has limited your freedom in anyway, please let me know. I'm always open for criticism, given that it also provides a prescription.

In summation, thank you if you made it this far for one. I look forward to getting into the posts where I think I can help or add something to the discussion. Feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Peace, love, and understanding.

m0n9u21

reply to post by m0n9u21


I'm political, I like cookies and fart jokes.

But welcome!

You'll be an interesting addition.

Hello, welcome to ATS.
Judging by your introduction, I look forward to some good quality reading.

reply to post by beezzer


Hello and thanks... by the way, I like cookies and fart jokes as well. Iv'e also been known to ingest the occasional poison too, hehehe. Again, thanks for the welcome and I'll be sure to look at some your posts.

Originally posted by m0n9u21
reply to post by beezzer

 

Hello and thanks... by the way, I like cookies and fart jokes as well. Iv'e also been known to ingest the occasional poison too, hehehe. Again, thanks for the welcome and I'll be sure to look at some your posts.

You can't miss 'em!

Glad to have you aboard, though.

reply to post by m0n9u21

Ghosts and the paranormal; I've never had a personal experience with this so I remain skeptical for now, however, I am not naive enough to think that I am not naive.

Loved, loved, loved this. Can't wait to see what you bring to the table. Welcome!

And ignore Beezzer, we normally keep him locked in the dungeon but he keeps escaping...

reply to post by AccessDenied


Hello to you as well, and thank you for the compliment. Now let me assure you that my writing is nothing more than a smoke screen to my true intelligence, i.e. a way to appear smarter than I actually am. It took years of writing philosophical papers, or what I like to call papers on definitions (philosophy joke) to get to where I am today, not to say I'm finished learning, I hope I never stop learning. Again, nice to meet you and I look forward to all interactions we might have.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Hello to you as well. I'm glad you liked that, feeling clever always brightens my day. I look forward to hearing your compliments more... just kidding. It is nice to meet you, but I do honestly look forward to sharing thoughts and ideas with you.

Originally posted by m0n9u21
reply to post by AccessDenied

 

Now let me assure you that my writing is nothing more than a smoke screen to my true intelligence, i.e. a way to appear smarter than I actually am.

Oh, believe me..you'll fit in here, quite nicely.
See you on the boards.

Good to see you have an open mind even though you are overeducated. Maybe because you are into Philosophy it will contradict the conditioning that is taught in school. Finding the truth is what it is all about. In a society so full of half truths and deceit it is hard to know if what you believe is the truth. Conditioning of humans has been going on for thousands of years, it is nearly impossible to break the cycle. Examine evidence yourself, do not blindly take the interpretation of others no matter who they are. Interpretations of evidence are guesses based on the beliefs and knowledge of the observer. I find that about half the interpretations check out as real, some of the theories we hold as real are only flawed interpretations put into place by predominant individuals. I find that everyone knows at least one thing really good, but other things they know are distorted.

Good luck here, I will be very interested in seeing how much knowledge you have acquired. If I ever say something that contradicts your knowledge, it may be because I have found evidence that makes it inapplicable to the situation. Don't get upset, I am just trying to show different perspectives that apply to different situations. I find that my perception needs adjusting many times, but sometimes I find my perception is more pertinent than others. I learned that there are variables which I was unaware of that are extremely important to the overall picture even though my knowledge may be right in the situation being discussed. Learning new things is my hobby. it is my purpose in life. I hope I can learn much from you.

Originally posted by rickymouse
Good luck here, I will be very interested in seeing how much knowledge you have acquired. If I ever say something that contradicts your knowledge, it may be because I have found evidence that makes it inapplicable to the situation. Don't get upset, I am just trying to show different perspectives that apply to different situations. I find that my perception needs adjusting many times, but sometimes I find my perception is more pertinent than others. I learned that there are variables which I was unaware of that are extremely important to the overall picture even though my knowledge may be right in the situation being discussed. Learning new things is my hobby. it is my purpose in life. I hope I can learn much from you.

Hello and thank you for your words. I think you hit it right on the mark, a pedagogical argument is always a problem when dealing with different perspectives, especially when one considers all the different possibilities. And don't worry, I'm not offended easily and probably like you relish in the ability to learn from others. Thank you again for taking the time to read my introduction, I look forward to hearing more from you.

reply to post by m0n9u21


Great resume...You're hired! Welcome to the Asylum.....

I look forward to your input in the forums....

Des

Hey Welcome.

reply to post by Destinyone


Haha, and thank you... When do I start? If only I could get a job that required critical thinking, the closest I ever get currently is problem solving file folders (how to alphabetize), but seriously, thank you. I'm feeling rather redundant now, but honestly I look forward to hearing more from you.

Originally posted by m0n9u21
reply to post by Destinyone

 

Haha, and thank you... When do I start? If only I could get a job that required critical thinking, the closest I ever get currently is problem solving file folders (how to alphabetize), but seriously, thank you. I'm feeling rather redundant now, but honestly I look forward to hearing more from you.

Here's a little sumpthin' to de-stress you...complimentary cookies! Watch out for that sneaky bunny Beezzer...we have him in a 12 step cookie program. Once he's detoxed, it's off to Jenny Craig with him....he's got a bad case of cookie thighs.....



Des

reply to post by Destinyone


Nice! I'll treasure them always. I'm feeling a thread coming on about the dangers of cookies. Just kidding, although it might be a nice satire piece... wait, who am I kidding this probably already exists. Running search now...

Welcome!

I look forward to reading your threads / posts.

Did I C cookies?

Is there milk?

Welcome To The Community

Be sure to try out Ask ATS with any "search words" of your choice & you'll find numerous threads to add your thoughts to right now. Once you've achieved a minimum of 20 posts, you'll be able to create your own threads & additionally send out messages to fellow ATS members.
Here are some handy links to get you oriented into now becoming a valued member of ATS.

Reaffirming ATS Policies ( Please Read First )
Terms & Conditions Of Use (Please read second)
Visit here next - ATS Freshmans Forum
Index of Important ATS Related Threads
Starting a New Thread ?... Look Here First
Easy Way to Upload Your Pics & Avatar Graphics

*** Keep your arms within the ride's comfort zone, have fun & help us "Deny Ignorance" ***
ATS at times is like a rollercoaster ride! Be aware if one acts in an uncivil-like manner, discusses personal illicit drug usage, uses profanity, is a troll, intentionally spreads a hoax, spam's, advertises and/or get's verbally abusive, they will be warned or removed off the ride by a Moderator. If you see posted any of the above mentioned, please let one of staff know by using the "Alert" function. This is for your safety, & for those both young and old on this ride with you.

[color=#dc1400]W[color=#dc2800]e[color=#dc3c00]l[color=#dc5000]c [color=#dc7800]o[color=#dc8c00]m[color=#dca000]e [color=#dcc800]t[color=#dcdc00]o [color=#b4dc00]A[color=#a0dc00]T[color=#8cdc00]S

reply to post by JohnnyAnonymous


Thanks for the great info/ links, I'm sure they will all come in handy. And before I forget, thanks for the greeting as well. Everyone is so welcoming, and I'm glad I finally decided to create a profile. Have a great weekend.