Interview with Khethil

Today's interviewee is ____Khethil_____ , who has been a member on the forum since ______19 Apr 2008_____ .


This is actually a bit embarrassing. I was trying to choose another name for an online game back in '98 and was suffering a particularly impressive tequila hangover. I was getting nowhere choosing random names from the in-game generator, so I started mumbling random sounds till I came up with something relatively intelligible. This, all because the alias I've been using since before the internet (anyone remember the BBS days?), Proph, had been taken.


Yea I does, really. It's an image of an old man, dressed in rags, sitting solitarily reading a book. For me, philosophy and history has been - mainly - a road of private discovery; and I've been 'aged' since my mid 20's. There's a mood evoked by this image that's somehow comforting and in this way it just seems to fit. Any discoveries or insights are mine alone; mainly because they defy adequate description. I think its this way for most philosophers: Debate and discourse are great for teasing and grasping different ideals, but that "oh wow" moment is necessarily a private moment.



The title I'm displaying doesn't hold any real significance. I just haven't had much reason to change it (and actually am not sure if I chose this one, haha!).

My signature is a quote that hold much significance to me. For all the things we think so simple, so cut-and-dried, my experience has taught me that virtually nothing is just so. We look at our condition, our world, our lives, our social structures and behaviors and proclaim goodness, evil or indifference. There is no aspect to human behavior (or its condition, truth be told) that truly is what it seems. I've worked very hard, in deep critical thought, to analyze/examine various aspects and the deeper I go, the more ambiguity I discover; in some ways I almost wish I hadn't - surety is such a rare commodity. In any case, I hold very firm to the ideal that its complexity in our lives and our existence that - if there is any - holds any true insight; thus the quote.


I wanted a place to Hang my Hat, so to speak. There are tons of forums out there and each has its tenor. Realizing that I'd likely adjust and morph to fit the pitch of any given place, I simply looked for one that highlighted the core philosophical disciplines and appeared to have a policy of tolerance and cordiality. At that time, this seemed the place to be. I was also extremely impressed with Justin's administration. The energy and determination to maintain such a thing, over the long term, is rare indeed; and I have no intentions of investing my time in a cyber-place that didn't seem like it'd last.



I wish I found items of sufficient interest to post more. We have a lot of duplicate threads; which I suppose is forgivable given the nature of philosophy. And there's a lot of "OMG That's out there!"-threads. But this, too, is just fine. The variety of themes that might spill forth from The Thinker makes this inevitable. Even so, I truly wish I found more that interested me. I feel often that so many folks - me included at times - just want to talk and not really read others' posts with any depth. I suppose what I'm saying is that if I had any indication that posts were read, and a real effort was made to understand them more, I'd probably jump in more. All told, I think we're doing just fine; and for whatever shortfalls I might see, these are to be expected.

I like being thanked; who doesn't! I do often wonder if they're just "I Agree!" or "Nice Contribution!"-type thanks. Who can say?


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tell us a little bit more about you in general.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Courtesy and respect will go a long way with me; just don't mistake my niceness for weakness.


Reading in general (historical and sociological), collecting, music, online gaming.


I think so. Of course, philosophy (in a general sense) ties into virtually everything we do. But yea, particularly the reading helps to contribute and tickle ideas.


I love good conversation that goes two ways, I respect someone taking responsibility for their part in the communicative process, I love the honest, true and natural. I'm embarrassed by my culture yet encouraged by those rare gems of empathy, compassion and intelligence I do see. I abhor arrogance, assumption and judgmentalism. I've found hard work and honest toil has its own value (apart from any 'goal' we're trying to reach). Dogs are too loud but loyal, cats are too arrogant but quiet; everyone should be required to be schooled in ethics and sometimes a cake is just a cake - we need to be OK with that.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tell us about philosophy forum and you.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Core philosophical areas, Blogs, User Profiles (the ones that have real, personal content that tell us about the individual passed the superficial), "New Posts" (kill that 20 second delay! arrrgh).


Yes, only here though really. It feels rather defeating since there's no thought, idea or insight that I can adequately describe that someone else hasn't also had in their own tenor. As far as the subjects go, I try and stick to the ones that hold the most _applicability_. Musing on the metaphysical is just fine, but lessons that have wide-application, those are the ones I want to preach; for what that's worth.


I don't think it'd be fair to use just one word. Like any meeting place of such diversity, any single descriptor would (at best) describe only part of it. It's also changed for me in the last year, so any word I might choose might be counterproductive. If I had to choose, it'd be: Talk!


I usually try first to say something that tells the poster/readers that I do understand (or rather what think I understand), then press on from there. I fear I come across pedantic some times and maybe a bit wordy. It's not completely an accident; over simplification of a complex issue leads to unnecessary disagreement (and we see that a LOT). So in my desire to fully qualify an issue, I worry that it gets far beyond the average attention span of 1-2 sentences. In any case, though I can't lay claim to complete and ultimate Truth, I can to honesty.


See more involvement by the moderators to help corral in the blatantly aggressive, diminutive and insulting users. Although we all can proudly stand on the banner of "Free Expression!"; remember that there will always be among us who use this freedom in such a way that it diminishes our open and frank expressions (and we see this constantly). Confronting rude or grossly confrontational posters is tedious and sensitive - to be sure! - but I think it necessary to help steer the forum to a place we all want to be; apart from the other sites, one that prizes courtesy as a necessary ingredient to purposeful exchange. This would include profanity (not because it's 'right' or 'wrong', but because in the English language it is a mitigation of our courtesies and politeness) as well as bigotry.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tell us a little about your perspective of philosophy in general.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


I'm not completely sure; though I'm guessing it has something to do with my father, who received his PhD in Phyl:Logic. I've always had a bit of an interest, and that really took off when I took some courses back in the mid-late 90's. After that, I pretty much set out on my own.



It pervades everything we think and do. It hangs over each and every one of us - as being the subtle 'why' character whispering to us just off the stage of our consciousness. As such, there's no one alive who couldn't benefit from examining the various methods of thought, motivation, existence and ethics. No matter how critically I try to think down the issue, there's no area of study I can come up with that's more pervasive, more over-arching and holds more applicability than those contained in philosophy. We all have it, regardless of how little or how much we've studied.

Our personal philosophy underpins the way we see our world, what we take as legitimate, foolish, evil or false. I'm not sure how any other area can even come close to this in terms of its potential for enriching our lives: personally, professionally, emotionally or intellectually.



New twists on an old theme, the enthusiasm of reading someone's post who just had a "wow!"-moment, enjoying the study of some of the great masters of letters who've written passages so poignant, so rich and graceful that old themes are made fresh again. I only wish I could pass this on; alas, it's a private feeling and appreciation. But yea, regular exposure and study helps keep it interesting for me.


I value both our lives; let's cease fire and live it together.


Probably the largest benefit is to the individual; for them to get a 'larger' peak into understanding their own "why's", beliefs and view of the world. To understand ones self is difficult, always there's bias and the tree bows standing in our way. To have any hope of stepping outside at all, we need the assistance of other minds, other ways of thinking. It's the study of these "ways", these other methods, that can help bring clarity to our own. We don't spend much time contemplating our existence, our ethics or what we consider to be worthy of the title "knowing"; by getting a grasp of the various types of thought, we come to know our own.

There are many others, but the only other I'd like to highlight is our view of the world: both other people and our perspective of the whole. The more honestly one embraces and studies the philosophical method, the more seasoned, calmed and mature one's overall view becomes (or, at least has the potential to be so). I'll stop there, this could get long.


... that it becomes relegated to Religion, Politics or Metaphysics only. Though these are important, and understandable in the strong sentiments they elicit, there's so much more to the whole package. Epistemology and Ethics hold particular worth to the individual in refining and understanding their own outlook. I don't think that philosophy necessarily changes one as much as it helps to clarify; past that, is up to the now informed and enlightened mind whether or not to proceed.


Ethics, ethics, ethics and ethics; far and away the most applicable to all our kind. Regardless of what your theology is, or your view on existence or even your political/cultural orientation; studying and fleshing out what is right and wrong as a human is perhaps the most important and neglected mental study we can undertake (with immediate benefits to one another in the here-and-now as we move among the world of people).

With honesty, ethical study can help point to our inconsistencies, help clarify the world of grays and soften our stances towards those of divergent thought. I don't mean to suggest that ethical study can (or should) excuse what's otherwise inexcusable; quite the contrary, its purpose is to divulge the clear paths and give us an appreciation for those in need of clarification. Definitely; ethics


... probably Metaphysics. I find it hard to discover substance in the abstract thoughts of others; and after all, don't we all have the loftiest dreams of what is or isn't beyond the physical. In any case, what is in my head (metaphysically) is a product of my own mind, and each other. As such, it's difficult to even have an idea of what someone's talking about (much less to grasp towards understanding).

While I do see it as having worth; it's a murky creek to me - a place of a trillion postulations that may or may not have any 'real' footing in the corporeal; that place where we all meet now.


I don't really have one. But if I had to answer, I'd say Marcus Aurelius. His "Meditations" continue to be a source of inspiration and honest practical advice that speaks to me on a level I can't quite describe (no matter how many times I've read this short work). But in all honesty, this really isn't a fair question, there are so many! Kant, Sartre, Socrates, Becket, Russell and Nietzsche could have fit the bill as well.


This is an easy question: There isn't one.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lightning Round!!! Answer either or!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Warming; The why, how much, who and how; however, are all up to debate


Conservatively Liberal


Information


Is "Honest" a fair answer?


PC


Phenomenal, has to be

Thanks, nice exercise