Comments on: Leaving the Garden: Kevin’s Journey

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:25:04 +0000

xJane –
I’ll remember to thank my parents the next time it is appropriate to do so (i.e.; next time I talk to them).
Unfortunately that isn’t a giant picture of John but if I ever do see a picture of John on the street I will most definitely mimic his pose .
It most likely takes a strong person to challenge and change the beliefs they grew up with – that strength is a quality I admire in atheists who were raised in a religion.

By: xJane

xJane — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:41:59 +0000

Kevin: this is exactly what I envy about true atheists (non-religious) like you and my husband. There is absolutely nothing missing in your life. Give many thanks to your parents on the next parents’ days: they have given you a gift greater than faith. As much as I want to be at peace with my atheism, I feel that the fact of god has insinuated itself so much into my psyche that I’ll never be a true atheist. I look up to people like you.

I also sympathize with your struggle with vocabulary. “Atheist” and “non-religious” define a person in relation to religion, just as “Catholic” or “Muslim” do. My husband describes himself as “humanist” in an effort to get away from any kind of god-or-theist-leaning words.

Also, is that a giant photo of John you’re standing before? I ask, of course, because of the hair.

By: John

John — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:48:28 +0000

thanks!

By: the narrator

the narrator — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:16:30 +0000

happy birthday john

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:33:47 +0000

I didn’t want to make it sound like becoming a Professor is impossible or highly improbable. If you play the game right (publish, teach as a graduate student, produce a thesis in one of the subcategories of philosophy that Universities are interested in) you would have a good fighting chance.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:21:47 +0000

Hi Lessie. During my MA program my department had a position opening both years (which is rare). Both times about 150 people applied for the spot – not because they were all super interested in this one position but because, as recent graduates, they were forced to send out their job applications all over the nation to as many job openings as possible. The market is full of PhDs looking for a home.
I’m pursuing the degree to discover things, to find an opinion, to become educated (all useful things!) but not with the expectation that I’ll get a job teaching philosophy.
If you are worried about job prospects, philosophy graduate school won’t offer you much. Philosophy will, however, offer you other things that I think are much more valuable. Hope that helps!

By: Lessie

Lessie — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:55:06 +0000

Kevin, I love your Nietzsche reflection there. Very cool. Nietzsche is one of my favorite philosophers. I remember studying him in my undergraduate work and being heavily drawn to his will to power and god is dead rhetoric . . . of course, I was still a theoretical full believer, so my fascination scared me, but later I realized there’s a lot of good to be found in his work.

Just out of curiosity, what do you plan on doing with your degree? When I tell people I want to go into philosophy in grad school, they look at me like I’ve lost my mind and remind me how useless such a pursuit is. I just want to teach (but at a graduate level– everyone’s interested in being there).