My name is Alex, and while I first discovered LW 2-3 years ago, I have only visited the site sporadically since then. I have always found the discussion here intriguing and insightful, but never found myself motivated enough to dedicate time to joining the community (until now!).
I’m a 26 year old Canadian with an undergraduate degree majoring in chemistry and minoring in philosophy (with a healthy dose of physics on the side). I have always been very analytical and process driven, and I have used that to fuel my creativity, and develop a more thorough understanding of the world we find ourselves a part of. I have been self-employed since graduating, with the eventual goal of returning to school for a graduate degree.
In my undergrad, my strengths and interests were in synthetic/materials chemistry, as well as organic chemistry. I spent time working for a research group that specialized (largely) in group 14 nano-material chemistry, which I enjoyed immensely. The areas of philosophy I concentrated on were philosophy of science, computing & AI, theory of mind, and existentialism. In short, I avoided the ‘historical overview’ philosophy courses in favour of those which were more relevant to the rapidly changing technological world (not to say philosophers of times past are uninteresting or have no current relevance, but I think the LW audience will empathize).
I expect that my contributions here will, in some sense, help me parse out what I would like to dedicate my future institutional studies to. I value knowledge and truth, as well as academic integrity and humility. I am off put by individuals who are unquestioning or unable to logically reason effectively, so I hope I will find a good home here. The toolbox of logical reasoning has allowed mankind to build itself up out of the primordial muck, and it seems that mastery of these tools is essential for continued advancement (and perhaps even survival). So, in addition to the above, I hope that my time here will allow me to continue honing my own tools of logic.
Hello LW,
My name is Alex, and while I first discovered LW 2-3 years ago, I have only visited the site sporadically since then. I have always found the discussion here intriguing and insightful, but never found myself motivated enough to dedicate time to joining the community (until now!).
I’m a 26 year old Canadian with an undergraduate degree majoring in chemistry and minoring in philosophy (with a healthy dose of physics on the side). I have always been very analytical and process driven, and I have used that to fuel my creativity, and develop a more thorough understanding of the world we find ourselves a part of. I have been self-employed since graduating, with the eventual goal of returning to school for a graduate degree.
In my undergrad, my strengths and interests were in synthetic/materials chemistry, as well as organic chemistry. I spent time working for a research group that specialized (largely) in group 14 nano-material chemistry, which I enjoyed immensely. The areas of philosophy I concentrated on were philosophy of science, computing & AI, theory of mind, and existentialism. In short, I avoided the ‘historical overview’ philosophy courses in favour of those which were more relevant to the rapidly changing technological world (not to say philosophers of times past are uninteresting or have no current relevance, but I think the LW audience will empathize).
I expect that my contributions here will, in some sense, help me parse out what I would like to dedicate my future institutional studies to. I value knowledge and truth, as well as academic integrity and humility. I am off put by individuals who are unquestioning or unable to logically reason effectively, so I hope I will find a good home here. The toolbox of logical reasoning has allowed mankind to build itself up out of the primordial muck, and it seems that mastery of these tools is essential for continued advancement (and perhaps even survival). So, in addition to the above, I hope that my time here will allow me to continue honing my own tools of logic.