Sunday, July 12, 2009

First Post

Hello!

I'm Roderick Fitts, and this is my blog, Inductive Quest.

Personal Information

I'm an Airman First Class (E-3) in the U.S. Air Force, and before that, I attended (and dropped out of) the University of Michigan. I was formerly a philosophy major and am still very interested in the field; in fact, philosophy is my main motivation for creating this blog.

I consider myself an Objectivist, meaning that I understand and agree with the principles articulated in Ayn Rand's philosophy. My other philosophical influences are Aristotle, Francis Bacon, and John Locke.

I've studied philosophy for about 3 years now, and I'm a sophomore student of the Objectivist Academic Center (currently on hiatus). The OAC has been a great place to enhance my understanding of the philosophy, and I highly recommend it for others who would like to learn about it (and other philosophies) from highly-trained professors.

Why the title "Inductive Quest"

I named my blog "Inductive Quest" because I'm determined to understand induction, both its proper and improper forms, as much as possible—even to the point of developing my own theory. I have two misgivings about whether or not a theory of induction can successfully be presented, which I plan to discuss sometime in a future post.

For now, I want to know the features of induction. This has led me to read several philosophers in ways I haven't done previously, and I think most of my posts will be my reflections on what I've learned.

Also, expect posts about the philosophy of Objectivism, since I'm still learning about the philosophy (though I do consider myself somewhat advanced) and will want to discuss some elements of it every once in a while. I'll also write about the philosophy because understanding it regularly involves implementing inductive thinking; though I haven't listened to it yet, this seems to be the main point of Dr. Leonard Peikoff's "Objectivism Through Induction" series of lectures.

Lastly, I'll probably post anything I have in mind about rationalism and empiricism, and other topics in epistemology, as I've been more interested in that branch of philosophy than any other field.

I hope you, the reader, enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. Welcome to blogging. Didn't realize you were now "Rodney Fitts, the Flying Philosopher".

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  2. Roderick, thank you for starting this weblog. I am confident, from what I have seen of your writing here, that your posts -- and possible discussion in comments -- will be both interesting and informative.

    There is more. You have identified a problem. Characterizing it -- and perhaps even solving it -- is evidently a passion for you. That specialized, passionate interest -- clearly defined and persistently pursued -- is inspiring. History -- large scale or small scale -- is made by individuals like you. More importantly for the individual, such a passionate pursuit is an element of an exalted life, the only kind worth living.

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