Adam Arola
Assistant Professor
|
|
|
First and foremost, I teach philosophy because I can never stop thinking about and doing philosophy and accordingly teaching philosophy is the best job in the world for me. Furthermore, I think that philosophy, insofar as it is defined as the never-ending process of inquiry, can assist students in asking fundamental questions about their lives that will not only enable them to live more fulfilling lives as individuals but also to be better, more thoughtful, members of civil society. A former student of mine once said--with much hubris--that he studied philosophy because you couldn't truly study anything else. What he meant by this was that once you pursue any field to the point of the Latin meaning of studium, you begin to do philosophy, as you must begin asking basic epistemic and ontological questions about how the discipline itself holds together and why it is different from any other. For me, all my intellectual engagements take place at the level of philosophy, at least insofar as we accept Slavoj Zizek definition: philosophy is the study of how what is actual is also possible. Philosophy is a rich and diverse field, in fact I would argue that it is potentially the most diverse field in the modern academy. During my time as a teacher in philosophy, I have taught thousands of students, including hundreds of philosophy majors. These students have gone on to graduate school in philosophy, they have gone to law school, they have become political campaign directors, they are teaching English in foreign countries, they are highly successful financial consultants, they are economists, they are Rhodes scholars, they work in cognitive neuroscience research labs, they are graphic designers, they are librarians, they are counselors...I could go on for pages. Philosophy can open up your mind and open up a sense of possibility about your future that you may not now have. Never forget that the task of all jobs and all professions is to think, philosophy is the only discipline whose core focus is on the task of thinking. I am a DJ with frequent shows at major clubs in Portland, Eugene, and elsewhere around the country (and hopefully the world!) when traveling. I'm a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and won my weight class in the Northwest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament last year and I was formerly a competitive amateur boxer. I've toured Europe playing drums in a hardcore punk band, sleeping in dirt filled basements in war-torn buildings, while avoiding land mines on strolls in the park. I try to teach myself a new language every year, I have remedial skills in about seven at this point. I'm also an enrolled descendent member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community band of the Ojibwe Anishinaabe. | |
