Flying home to Olympia, Washington, USA. View of the Cascade Mountains. 2017
Flying home to Olympia, Washington, USA. View of the Cascade Mountains. 2017
Since 2013, I've focused on writing philosophy, reading and reviewing books, preserving archival photos, and taking photos. Also, over the years I have written short notes and poems.
Philosophy writing
I've published three books that try to place philosophy on a scientific foundation (Darwinian theory and modern cosmology). See links on the Project Page.
The books demystify Schopenhauer's Will by arguing that it is the expression of cosmic and life energy. From that energy, key philosophical concepts and themes can be deduced. Each book presents the same ideas, a worldview, in different formats.
The first book, Philosophical Travels With Carl: Freedom in the Oregon Outback, is a series of philosophical discussions between two old friends as they travel in the Oregon Outback. It is somewhat akin to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and My Dinner with Andre.
The second book, Babu: A Philosophical Quest, is a poem, modeled a bit after Lucretius' On the Nature of Things. Babu is in the Hindu forest dweller stage and on a quest for the meaning of life.
The third book, Graybeard: A Chimpanzee Does Philosophy, takes place in a multiverse setting where Graybeard, an ape, relays his philosophy to other philosophers and thinkers. It's a worldview that stands in direct opposition to Plato's philosophy, which has largely dominated Western philosophy.
Together, the books constitute a philosophical trilogy. They are the kind of books that I looked for as a young man but did not find.
Book reviews
Since 2009, I have been an active reviewer on Goodreads. The books reviewed there have largely fed directly into my thinking and writing projects. I have written them for my own benefit and I've shared those on Goodreads for those who might be interested in what I had to say. See my Goodreads link on the Project Page.
Digital (and print) archives
I have digitized archival photos of Nepal, where I lived for four years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and my Michigan hometown and family history. I've also digitized photos of my family's farm and put them into a small photo book. Links to these are on my Project Page.
Photography
I enjoy taking photos. For years, I put those I liked most in physical albums, and more recently, I have made albums on Facebook - a link to them is on the Project Page.
Three photos from my home in Olympia, WA follow below.
Journal notes and poems
During my Peace Corps years, I started to write aphorisms -- reflections on things -- and then continued sporadically afterwards. Later, I started putting these reflections into poetic format. Links to these are on my Project Page.
The Kiss, Olympia, Washington waterfront. 2020.
Olympia, Washington. Looking south. 2020.
Olympia, Washington. Capitol Building. 2020.