Daniel Gaines is a graduate assistant pursuing his grasp’s in philosophy at Western Michigan College. Daniel’s philosophical pursuits are broad and embrace metaethics, ethical epistemology, philosophy of arithmetic, and philosophy of well-being. Along with philosophy, Daniel enjoys filmmaking and hopes to direct a low-budget film at some point.
What excites you about philosophy?
What excites me essentially the most about philosophy is how the self-discipline has no boundaries. There are all the time significant inquiries to ask regardless of the place our inventive minds lead us. This is without doubt one of the the explanation why I all the time discover it troublesome to inform folks what sort of thinker I’m. There are such a lot of questions, all in seemingly completely different disciplines, that I want to discover all through my life.
What matter do you suppose is beneath explored in philosophy?
I believe the subject of clever extraterrestrial life, and its implications if found, is a subject that philosophers ought to handle extra totally. I discover myself pondering deeply about among the questions that come up in science fiction novels: ought to we contact a complicated civilization if we uncover a technological signature; if we do select to make contact with them, what ought to we inform them about ourselves; how ought we conduct ourselves when interacting with alien life, clever or in any other case?
What are your targets and aspirations exterior of labor?
One factor on my bucket listing is to create a bunch of brief movies in graduate college and a feature-length movie at some point later in my profession. I need to discover various mediums to precise my philosophical pursuits aside from in writing. Sadly, I’ve encountered that studying is an impediment to many individuals’s entry to philosophy. I hope that, by expressing my concepts in video format, a wider viewers will interact with philosophical subjects sooner or later.
What time of day are you most inventive?
I’m inventive any time of day, as long as I take away all distractions and really isolate myself in my ideas. My most inventive and productive second occurred throughout a tenting journey after I was utterly remoted from civilization for a short while. I extremely suggest that philosophers go on a Descartes meditation fashion journey at the least as soon as per yr.
What know-how do you want the human race may uncover/create/invent proper now?
I want that there was a method for people to journey again in time in some form of causally inert kind. Maybe we may observe the previous as some form of invisible hologram that may’t work together with matter. Additional, I hope that point can one way or the other dilate for us whereas we’re exploring the previous. That method we will observe centuries of humanity with out really growing older the identical variety of years.
This part of the APA Weblog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers slightly higher. We’re together with profiles of APA members that highlight what captures their curiosity not solely contained in the workplace, but in addition exterior of it. We’d love so that you can be part of it, so please contact us through the interview nomination form right here to appoint your self or a buddy.
Alexis LaBar has a Grasp’s diploma in Philosophy from West Chester College of Pennsylvania. Earlier than attending West Chester, she graduated from Moravian College with a Bachelor’s in Philosophy, a minor in World Religions, and an Ethics certificates. She is the recipient of the 2022 Claghorn Award in Philosophy, awarded by West Chester College, and the 2021 Douglas Anderson Prize in Philosophy, awarded by Moravian College. She is the Editor of the Educating Beat and Work/Life Stability Beat.
