The Accidental Philosopher

How did I 'get into' philosophy? By accident.

I had always had an interest in why-and-how questions. Most folks get over these when they stop being children. But it just stuck with me. I never stopped asking silly questions.

Then I did teacher training in 1986. We did interpersonal communication as part of the syllabus. I got hooked on how human language works and was fascinated by such concepts as the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. Does the language you speak really shape your worldview? Well, maybe.

I kept on learning about this stuff. I was good enough at it to be taken back onto the very course I trained on as the tutor of learning psychology. Which just reinforced my burgeoning interests, as I had to gen-up on similar topics for my taught sessions.

Then I wanted to investigate these interesting questions more often, so I started a WEA course called 'Great Thinkers' where each week looked at a different major figure from science, sociology, philosophy, psychology, etc. The famous names were just a hook upon which to hang some very big concepts that rarely got discussed elsewhere. Then, I ended up teaching a session about Ludwig Wittgenstein (language again!), which started a lifelong obsession with his work.

So, when I finally got around to doing a degree (in 1997), I did it in education BUT insisted that the dissertation research was based on a Wittgensteinian approach to learning (a logical and linguistic analysis of problems in NVQ assessment). My course tutor hadn't a clue what I was on about, so the Uni (Sunderland) kindly drafted in an external tutor to handle the philosophy elements. It was a thorough revelation. I achieved first-class honours... and won a prize for the standard of the work. A summary of my findings was also published in the educational press. So, I can say with some precision that I have a degree in education with philosophy.

I am, as they say, very experienced in both education and its philosophy simply because I've been teaching it and writing about it ever since (nearly thirty years). Something I enjoy and find therapeutic. It's about getting all your ducks in a row. In print.

I rarely say 'I am a philosopher' (though I am), as I find it slightly embarrassing to put myself in the same category as ol' Ludwig W. Nevertheless, I've contributed enough in my time to own the title.