Patrick D. Anderson, an Associate Professor of Philosophy, expresses a lifelong curiosity that began in his childhood, preferring to understand how things work rather than seeking entertainment. He stresses that philosophy thrives on asking questions rather than seeking definitive answers, encouraging exploration. Influential works for him include C. Wright Mills' and Frantz Fanon's writings, which challenged his thinking and political theory perspectives. He identifies his philosophical stance with Cynic-Romantic tradition, advocating for a complete rethinking of human beliefs and systems, diverging from mainstream philosophical thought that assumes a mostly correct human trajectory.
Asking questions. Answers are limiting because they close down conversation, but questions are exciting because they open up conversation. Questions invite creativity and exploration.
C. Wright Mills' The Power Elite because it articulated so many ideas I never knew I always had, and Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth because it contained so many ideas I never knew I always needed.
My philosophical temperament probably most closely resembles Diogenes of Sinope or Jean-Jacques Rousseau—something along the lines of the Cynic-Romantic tradition in Western philosophy.
I think humans have generally gotten things completely wrong, and everything needs to be rethought from the bottom up.
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