A very popular error: having the courage of one's convictions; rather it is a matter of having the courage for an attack on one's convictions!!! -Friedrich Nietzsche

Welcome to my User page. I am your host, Postmodern Beatnik. Here at Wikipedia I primarily focus on articles pertaining to philosophy, especially ethics and the history of philosophy. If you ask for my opinion on something, or are trying to decipher an explanation for one of my votes, please know that I will almost always offer considerations rather than certitudes. My apologies. It's a trick of the trade and an occupational hazard. Finally, I would like to explicitly note that if I change my mind on something, I will go to the talk page and say so. Despite policy, then, my silence on an issue should never be interpreted as consent. Of course, my consent or lack thereof is fairly irrelevant to any conversation I have stopped participating in—but I wouldn't want to be misinterpreted. ; )

"To Do" List

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If my personal sandbox has anything on it, that's probably what I'm currently working on. Other than that, here are my future plans:

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  • Optimism should have a separate page that focuses on the philosophical idea of optimism and distinguishes the philosophical view from "positive thinking" and other everyday uses of the word.
  • Philosophy of social science, has some okay points but requires elaboration on Wittgenstein and Winch, perhaps other linguistic critiques, whether logical positivist or postmodernist.
  • Exchange value needs to be redone, it shouldn't be under 'Marxist theory'- although it's an important component of Marxist theory it's also vital for all economics. That said the article's weight on Marx is also absurd.
  • German Idealism and the articles related to it may need to be rewritten or expanded to avoid undue weight on Arthur Schopenhauer.
  • Protected values first section confuses right action and values and needs a copy edit, moving and wikifying
  • Quality (philosophy) needs a more clear explanation.
  • Socratic dialogues could do with some tidying and clarification. See the talk page for one suggested change.
  • Problem of universals: The introductory definition is (perhaps) fixed. But, the article is poor. Check out the German version.
  • Teleology: the article is shallow and inconsistent.
  • Existentialism: the quality of this article varies wildly and is in desperate need of expert attention.
  • Analytic philosophy This is a very major topic, but still has several sections which are stubs, and several topics which are not covered.
  • Lifeworld A philosophical concept that seems to have fallen exclusively into the hands of the sociologists. Could use some attention; it's a major and complex issue in phenomenology.
  • Perception Needs the attention of philosophically minded Wikipedians. This is only the start of an overhaul of perception and related articles.