A Footnote to my Philosophical Tale. . .

So far (In my most recent posting titled "The Ramblings of a Rutgers Philosophy Student" I gave you a little background for where I am regarding philosophical positions. Despite some interest in the subject I have had little recent involvement. That said, I did read through Chalmers' paper with enthusiasm and and am left with several thoughts and opinions on the matter. So with that I want to step from the auto-biographical to philosophical. It is interesting or at least amusing, however, that am timid to enter such domains. Today, I am not writing in the safety of a classroom or seminar. I feel naked, exposed, vulnerable posting all this on the web for any and all to read. More likely few if any. . .
I find myself asking myself who am I to write such things? On what authority do I write such positions? And this is a concern. I do not want to be perceived as a buffoon much less simply be one. That said there are plenty of such people offering such positions, both in and out of academia. The fact that one is in academia does not guarantee the quality of one's writing, content or thoughts relating to any subject. What is gained in the academy is the ability to focus for extended periods on a particular topic and perhaps share this with peers. The value of this, however, can also be questioned. It is easy to find positions, often long held positions, which we look at today and ask what were they thinking? All too often especially in fields such as philosophy an appeal to sociology provides a far better explanation of how consensus on a topic or subject was arrived at, as opposed to the topic's truth and validity.

I do wish I could spend more time on these topics - to review the literature thoroughly. This is true of any analytical or decision process.There is, however, something to be said about being required to proceed, needing to arrive at a conclusion, decide a course of action - to act. As they say to those with writers block. . .just start writing. So the solution here is perhaps to simply start. Take the plunge and acquire the tools and texts as required.

So I proceed. Back to Dennett and for the moment, Chalmers.