1 - Introduction: the blog & myself

The Blog

   This blog is hopefully going to be an environment that allows for those who participate to grow intellectually. Furthermore, this blog will discuss philosophy, not just in  the strict academic sense but, in a way that allows those who read a deeper understanding of the world we live in and ourselves. To achieve the greatest amount of success in this relatively broad realm of study I am going to break up this and all further posts into a number of categories, though  I do not plan on restricting myself to this rough and initial list I would at least like to set it out.
   First, there is Epistemology, which is concerned with the nature of knowledge and truth. We can think of epistemology as a battle with a few camps that people tend to discuss. The first camp is that of the skeptic; a person who believes that there any very few, if any truths and absolute knowledge to be had. The second camp is that of the dogmatic; a person who ascribes to a set of beliefs and argues for them (however I don't mean to cast those who are dogmatic in a negative light, as skeptics tend to do). Rationalism is the supposition that reasoning is the paramount source of knowledge, and that everything else tends to be fallible. The last basic camp I'll discuss right now is that of the Empiricist; a person who looks to sensory experience to explain human belief.
   Second, there is Logic, which is the study of correct reasoning, we may think of logic as the construction of arguments about other things but, posts about logic and reasoning will come up once in a while. The important thing in this case, is that one should remember that emotion is as important to some arguments as logic and that a correct combination of the two will lead to a more compelling and, perhaps a more useful conclusion.
   Third, there is Metaphysics, the study of existence, time, mind vs. body and what all these things can mean for us. Two classic divisions have come up in the discussion philosophy, cosmology and ontology. Cosmology is the study of the world in a large scope and Ontology is the study of being. Metaphysics has many fields of belief which I will examine at a later date.
   Fourth, there is Ethics and its counterpart, Political philosophy. Ethics is the quest for the "good life" or the best way to live and whether or not this can be found at all. Political philosophy is the discussion of the best ways to rule and how one can apply ethics to the world of politics.
Lastly, I'll have three other categories, that of the extremely interesting history of philosophy, specialized branches of contemporary philosophy such as jurisprudence and a set of introductions to philosophical thought and ideologies.

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Also, if there are any of you out there who would like to write for the site, as well as read and comment, may email me at my gmail or p2_ace@yahoo.com. 

Myself

I am a university student who has much interest in the world of philosophy, I grew up in Austin, Texas and currently attend Texas State University - San Marcos. I don't think I ought to share much else, if you have any questions about me or the site, you may also email me at p2_ace@yahoo.com.