Ready to think out loud

I have been meaning to write philosophical essays (or articles, to start with) since I was a teenager. I have written posts over the years that are akin to that, though never consistently nor showcasing the whole theory I have been wrestling with in my head for decades now. For two fairly pivotal reasons:

1. Imposter syndrome: I did study some philosophy back in the day, although I am not an academic philosopher by any stretch of the concept. Then again, actual philosophers will tell you that a degree does not a philosopher make, and I very much second that. The thing is, beyond the academic argument, I didn’t quite feel my voice was distinctive enough, given that I contend there are 7 billion philosophers currently living. Although I had this desire (urge?) to share thoughts and felt that they were interesting on some level, I was always stopped in my tracks by this equally powerful concern that I just might be deluded and whatever I had in my mind was not so special after all…
   While I still feel very aware of the pitfalls one can fall into when it comes to philosophy and/or systemic thinking, since it effectively implies developing a comprehensive framework interpreting reality as a whole, with the very real risk of getting lost in one’s maze, I am gradually getting to the point where doubt is becoming a healthy internal checks and balances system which should (hopefully) prevent me from ever losing track of said reality.

2. Experience: the truth is, no matter how intelligent one person is, I am deeply convinced that the best theories cannot be borne outside of practice. The fundamentals of a theory do often come seemingly from nowhere, when two ideas connect in one’s mind, but that is both the conclusion and the beginning. The conclusion, because a “new” idea comes from previously gathered observations and experiences. The beginning, because that “new” idea should be tested out further, confronted with reality over and over again to confirm whether or not it holds actual meaning. And the more experience you have, the more this mechanism becomes easy — and quick. Put simply, philosophy without experience will not get you beyond sheer assumptions. That is a start, but in no way a full thought process.

Because I managed to (somewhat) fight off my original imposter syndrome and have indeed gained significant experience in the decades since I started formulating ideas on notepads, I am now getting to the point where I can with some confidence start laying out my thoughts. This will not be a linear process, because of the trial and error logic expressed in my second argument above, but it will be far more structured than anything I have written so far. And hopefully, instructive…