Shawn Simpson is a PhD candidate at the Graduate Center, the City University of New York. His dissertation focuses on communication, its evolution, and its many forms. He is currently working as a wilderness ranger and stock packer for the US Forest Service. He is also a Nationally Registered EMT and assistant instructor for Aerie Backcountry Medicine. He has taught philosophy at City College and Brooklyn College in New York.
What excites you about philosophy?
There’s a lot that excites me about philosophy. One thing I like about philosophy is that some of it you can do on your own. Part of that is the trip up the river, the journey into the unknown and the dark woods of age-old questions. You get to go into your own mind and simply see where it gets you, work things out for yourself. Then there’s the part of philosophy where you actually try to turn these ideas into something communicable. This part I like because I think it’s the part of philosophy where philosophy has a real chance of becoming art. You get to craft a way of presenting what you see in your mind into something for other people to see, read, or listen to, craft an argument, a point of view. This is also where philosophy becomes a social thing. Now you get the exchange of ideas and back and forths. I love learning new things, seeing new ways of seeing things, and being able to check my ideas against those of others and help others do the same. This gets to the final thing about philosophy that I’ll mention: the search for Truth with a capital T. I love that philosophy helps you get to the truth (even about truth). Such a simple and yet underappreciated thing.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve written?
My favorite thing I’ve written might not be philosophy, ha ha. But my favorite piece of philosophy I’ve written is probably a tie between my first serious attempt at a paper, which was eventually presented as a talk on James and Carnap, and the third chapter in my dissertation which is on art. My Grandmother was an artist and I think of myself as a bit of an artist too. It was really fun getting to explore some of the questions I’d often pondered while painting or drawing or looking at the works of others or sitting and talking about art with my grandmother or other family members or friends.
What are you most proud of in your professional life?
Those days that I did a really good job teaching. The world needs more good teachers and professors. Also, always having tried my best to stick to my values, especially within the craft, even when it might not have been the most strategic thing to do as far as some version of professional success might go.
What are you working on right now?
A lot of things, not all of them philosophy. But lately my focus has primarily been on the final edits to my dissertation. I’ve also been spending some time on the side working on a wilderness project. I’m hoping that might turn into a book someday too. Then there’s a paper on plant communication.
What topic do you think is under explored in philosophy?
I’ll list three. Love, Environmental Ethics, and Indigenous Philosophy.
Who is your favorite philosopher and why? Who do you think is underrated?
Rudolf Carnap is probably my favorite philosopher. He’s the one that got me fully hooked on this thing. I really enjoyed how simple and no-nonsense his work was, how precise and science based. I also really enjoyed the big questions he tackled, his ambition and values, and I love that despite the austerity of is style, there always an air of wonder to his writing. You could tell he just really loved philosophy.
As far as underrated philosophers go… 5-10 years ago, I probably would have plugged Carnap if someone asked me, but now I find myself wanting to say Aldo Leopold (not that I won’t still recommend Carnap too!) Leopold was a wilderness ranger back in the early days of the Forest Service and is often credited as the father of ecology and environmental ethics. He was even responsible for the creation of federally designated wilderness areas in the US (think of places like the John Muir Wilderness or the Ansel Adams Wilderness in California’s Sierra Nevada). Unfortunately, it seems like I’m usually the only person in the room who has read his book A Sand County Almanac let alone heard of Leopold. Nowadays most philosophers have at least heard of Carnap and are familiar with some of his views.
What is your favorite sound in the world?
Very hard choice. I’m going to say the sound of a light rain shower and thunder storm in the desert – with the smell of creosote in the air. Or the voice of a loved one I haven’t seen in a long time saying hello.
When did you last sing to yourself, or to someone else?
This morning – sang “Sweet Jane” by the Velvet Underground while feeding horses and mules.
If you could have a one-hour conversation with any philosopher or historical figure from any time, who would you pick and what topic would you choose?
Diogenes. Humility.
What would you like your last meal to be?
A slice of Red Velvet cake from Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles in Phoenix, Arizona
What cause or charity do you care about most?
Growing up in Arizona I was always surrounded by both beautiful wilderness and Native American culture, and I care deeply about issues in both these areas. A good organization to donate to or volunteer with is Red Feather Development Group in Arizona – they work primarily on home building, repair, and home education with the Navajo and Hopi tribes (https://www.redfeather.org/). I also encourage people to volunteer with or donate to their National Parks and Forests:https://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/donate.htm; https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/donations; https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/volunteers; https://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/volunteer.htm).
What advice do you wish someone had given you early in the profession?
As with any profession that has an element of art to it, I would encourage people to make sure they’re doing philosophy for the right reasons – that is, for the joy of the thing (philosophy) itself – not professional success, money, fame, etc. – in part because I think this tends to be the best philosophy and also because none of the other things are guaranteed (in fact, it’s probably more fair to say that they are unlikely). I would also encourage young philosophers to take their teaching and mentoring seriously. It’s some of the most important work we do.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
