Interview with Amperage

I chose the name Amperage because I am an electrical engineering student and I thought the reference would be pertinent. For the most part, I use this same name on all forums(though this is really the only one I frequent) since I thought of it.

I don't currently have an avatar so I suppose it doesn't mean anything special to me. I guess I should eventually get one but I have yet to really put that much thought into it

Lol. I'm starting to get the impression that this interview would be much more cool if I took the time to actually take advantage of all the features available to me. Perhaps I just don't realize what I have in front of me...and won't until it's too late. I may give some thought to an avatar, a user title, and a signature here before too long thanks to this questionnaire

I joined this forum after a period of time when I really wanted to find some place to have some good ol' fashion debates. I have always had a natural interest in philosophy and history and I think that both subjects lend themselves quite nicely to rather lively debates. Previously the most active forum I was a member of was a sports forum and most of the debates there were good but I couldn't help but post an off topic post now and again of a philosophical nature, like free will vs determinism that sort of thing. Eventually I just decided to do a Google search and I think I typed in "debate forum" and nothing really interesting popped up, so I typed in "philosophy forum" and I believe this was the site that was the first result. Well when I first started lurking around there was a topic titled, "Is [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? then is he impotent...", which seemed to be just the type of thing I would like to get involved with so I quickly joined. Though that topic wasn't the first I responded to it was probably the topic that made me realize the people here were both diverse and quite intelligent."

There is no particular rhyme or reason behind why my stats are the way they are. There is typically certain topics that I am more apt to respond to so it really depends on the regularity that such topics crop up. As far as my thanks/thanked ratio goes I can recall when I first joined I wanted to be sure and thank as many or more people than had thanked me but I've fallen slightly behind on that goal; though I don't nearly care as much about it at this point I suppose.

I tend to be a bit obsessive which leads to overthinking things but I mean well. I would say that sentence describes my personality because it's true for the most part. I tend to think down a line of thought so far, at times, that I end up somewhere where I tend not to recognize anything around me. I have a very obsessive nature and will sometimes develop a habit for a week or 2 and then a completely different one after that meanwhile forgetting about the one I had previously developed. For the most part I try to be as respectful and courteous as possible but every now and again I'll get agitated. I love to laugh and enjoy a well cooked meal ...and a clean pair of pants

My interests outside philosophy are kind of diverse. I'm a scuba diver, video game player, crossfitter, and a college student. I really enjoy watching movies and listening to cool music. Obviously there are more things than that but this should suffice.

I think in some ways they do, but I think it has more to do with my mindset than an actual connection. I find with things like crossfit for example, that I tend to have an internal battle with myself. I tend to make everything very personal in the sense that if I'm struggling, I will "call myself out" in an attempt to do more than I think I can. Scuba Diving, I think really helps me appreciate the aesthetic beauty of nature even more and I find extremely relaxing.

I played football in HS and consider myself a devout Christian. I was born and raised in the south and have younger brother and 2 Jack Russel Terrier dogs(they are so darn smart).

I find that I tend to do most of my postings in the Metaphysics department and Philosophy of Religion department and occasionally Ethics. I do think that from a certain perspective the first 2 topics are interrelated but I've always been interested in thinking about mind/matter, material/immaterial, time, just why we're here in the first place.

I don't typically blog though I've posted 2 blogs on this site. I posted one dealing with my thoughts on thoughts(as in where they come from and are they controllable) and one on the fallacious nature of using the term "God of the gaps" in a derogatory manner

enlightening.

point-counter point. I typically attempt to isolate a particular point made by someone else and either expound upon it or question it, followed by my answer to the question I ask.

Honestly I can't think of anything to make it more interesting. Perhaps it would be interesting if once a month or something we had 'centralized topic' of focus where a moderator or admin(or I suppose anybody really) poses a general question that all other members are encouraged to answer and participate in.

I'm not sure if anything really "got me interested" in philosophy as much as I've just "always been interested" in philosophy. During my first 2 years of college I took an intro to Ethics class and I took an intro to philosophy class. I remember not really liking the ethics class too much but really really loving the philosophy class. One thing I thought made it better than it may have normally been is the way it was structured. It was actually an online course in which every week, each student was required to start at least 2 topics and to respond to at least 2 other topics. Having it not be "in-class" made the responses much more well thought out and removed the 'intimidation factor' that some feel about voicing their opinion on such sometimes sensitive subjects.

Philosophy is important to me because, for me, it's more about an examination into who I am, more that it is about anything else. It's a chance to get me to formulate my own opinions about certain topics and a means, by way of others, to see where I'm making ill advised assumptions and mistakes

what keeps me interested in philosophy is the ever changing nature of the people in which I come in contact. I find it amazing how diverse the human mind is even amongst the group we have here. Everyone approaches ever topic very uniquely and from slightly different perspectives. There is no end to what can be learned.

this is quite a broad question and one in which I could go several different ways. I suppose I would say this: Dare to figure out what is at the heart of what you believe. Well...that or: Don't worry be happy

I think the benefits of philosophy are that, not only can it improve your reasoning skills and logic, but it is a means of understanding what things imply. Science gathers all this data but, in some ways, it's the philosophers who tell us what it all means.

The drawbacks are that one can become consumed with avenues of thought that can sometimes scare one's self. One can get lost in one's own thoughts in a bad way.

I'd broadly say Metaphysics followed by Ethics.

I don't know that I have a least favorite as much as I merely have a preference for some areas over others. I tend not to post too much in Aesthetics, but I think it's an interesting area of study, for example.

I haven't really studied too many philosophers in a very formal sense to really have a favorite or least favorite but just for the sake I'll say Leibniz. I say Leibniz because I like his approach to certain problems and his reasoning skills seem pretty solid.

I don't have a least favorite philosopher.

I don't get it....I guess warming

Conservative

informal

smart

PC

I probably use awesome more than phenomenal, so awesome.