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Andy2020

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Hey, my name is Andy. I am a 28 year old teacher from Dublin. Big into the folk metal scene (Delain; Equilibrium; Eluveitie; Follow the Cipher etc). Looking to meet other members from Ireland/The UK.

Also interested to know if there is anyone else on the forum who is going to Metalfest in Pilzen (Czech Republic) this year? 

There weren't many native English speakers there the last time I went! :)

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On 2/23/2020 at 12:33 PM, Andy2020 said:

I teach Philosophy and Religion. One of the perks is that I get paid to learn/teach about a lot of the pagan/secular ideas which influence many of the bands I like e.g. Eluveitie and Nightwish.

That's really cool!  I am a philosophy student myself.  Are there any thinkers that you are particularly knowledgeable of?

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17 hours ago, Andy2020 said:

That's great! May I ask how far along you are in your studies? And which areas/thinkers you are most interested in?

I am particularly familiar with the Frankfurt School of critical theory but most interested in the work of Paulo Freire.

Other thinkers I enjoy are Camus; Kierkegaard and Plato.

How about you? 

I am currently getting ready to begin graduate studies in philosophy.  I tend to focus on 19th and 20th century Continental thinkers.  I am especially interested in learning about Nietzsche, Hegel, and Heidegger.  However, recently I have been studying the Stoic Epictetus!

Critical Theory is something that I would like to learn a lot more about - specifically the foundational thinkers.  I have learned/come into contact with a lot of the political and cultural ramifications of their work, but have not read much of the theory itself.

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On 2/27/2020 at 1:26 PM, Andy2020 said:

Delighted to hear that you are going to pursue Philosophy at university - I haven't regretted it for a second! Like you, I am also inclined toward Continental thinkers - particularly Hegel. I would go so far as to suggest that one can't understand critical theory without first understanding Hegel, even though he wasn't part of that school of thought.

Have you come across a podcast called Philosophize This? If not, I would strongly recommend it. The host provides an excellent introduction to almost all foundational Western thinkers, as well as some Eastern ones. He has a very succinct way of capturing their ideas and transcripts of each show are made available for free on his website.

What has been the most influential text which you have read so far? 

I have heard lots of great things about that podcast from some of my friends too, so I should definitely check it out.  It is good to know that they explore thinkers from around the world too!

So far, the text that has been most influential on me that I have read has been Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra.  I had the great honor of being able to read it in a class taught by a true Nietzsche scholar right before he retired, and this book (and his class) got me fascinated by Nietzsche.  I love the writing style of the book and its great vocabulary.  I also found a lot of interesting ideas throughout.  I'm not sure why some scholars like to call Nietzsche's writing style "adolescent," as this was some of the most mature, developed writing that I have ever come across.

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  • 1 month later...
On 4/3/2020 at 5:09 PM, Andy2020 said:

Yo, sorry - thought I had replied to this. Yeah, I would definitely recommend that podcast as an  introduction to the history of Philosophy. It regularly reminds me of the importance of learning about Philosophy within a historical context. Also a great way to kill some time during this period of self-isolation. Speaking of which, I am currently working my way through the entire works of Marx and have just ordered the entire works of Hegel. Philosophy really is a labor of love (I think Marx would be angry if I said that it was a love of labor). 

Where would you recommend starting with Nietzsche? He is not the type of thinker I would like to approach without consulting a reader first. I enjoyed his 'Anti-Education' immensely but wouldn't trust myself to interpret or understand him correctly outside the narrative of a field which I am already comfortable with. Also, out of curiosity who was the Nietzche scholar? 

 

How go the preparations for grad studies?

The entire works of Marx AND Hegel!  That will certainly take a long time to work through!

As for Nietzsche, I am really not sure where it is best to begin.  The first that I read was Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and I thought that I got a lot out of reading it.  On the Genealogy of Morality would also be a good place to start.  From what I can tell, Nietzsche's particular interests shift throughout his career, but late works such as the ones that I mentioned always interested me the most.

The Nietzsche scholar that I studied under (only one class, but I found it extremely inspirations) was Professor William Arctander O'brien.  He truly changed my life and educational career.  I wish I could have taken more courses with him.

For graduate school, I was accepted into two Masters programs, and was waitlisted for a PhD program!

Good luck with Marx and Hegel!

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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Andy2020 said:

I have just finished the first two volumes of Marx's Capital and the recently published companion texts by David Harvey (which I strongly recommend, should you ever have the time on yours hands). Now onto volume three (plus companion text)...

Thanks for the Nietzsche suggestion, he has been cropping up in my life with increased frequency. It seems that he appears everywhere I turn lately, which might my semiotic space trying to send me a message (or perhaps because he is such a trope within pop culture).

Glad to hear the effect which Prof. O'Brien had on you. I had the good fortune to befriend the lecturer who inspired me both personally and professionally. We still meet regularly for coffee and I always walk away with a renewed sense of purpose and resolve.

Congrats on the offers! I would definitely recommend doing both a Master's and Doctorate. My experiences of both have been positively life changing (I hope to complete my PhD later this year).

May I ask what research topic you have in mind?

 

Andy

You are definitely working your way through Marx quickly!  I am starting to really value commentary/companion texts myself.

It turns out that I will be pursuing a Master's first, as the PhD waitlist never opened up, but that is all right.  There is a decent school nearby, and I will reapply once that has been completed.

As for research topics, I am not too sure yet.  I would really like to engage with Nietzsche more (especially Thus Spoke Zarathustra), and I thought about comparing his ideas with pragmatic ideas about truth and knowledge.  Before I get to sure, though, there I would really like to get more aquainted with other thinkers like Deleuze, Heidegger, and Hegel.

What are you doing your PhD research/thesis on?

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