Daniel Gaines is a graduate assistant pursuing his master’s in philosophy at Western Michigan University. Daniel’s philosophical interests are broad and include metaethics, moral epistemology, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of well-being. In addition to philosophy, Daniel enjoys filmmaking and hopes to direct a low-budget movie one day.
What excites you about philosophy?
What excites me the most about philosophy is how the discipline has no boundaries. There are always meaningful questions to ask no matter where our creative minds lead us. This is one of the reasons why I always find it difficult to tell people what kind of philosopher I am. There are so many questions, all in seemingly different disciplines, that I wish to explore throughout my life.
What topic do you think is under explored in philosophy?
I think the topic of intelligent extraterrestrial life, and its implications if discovered, is a topic that philosophers should address more thoroughly. I find myself thinking deeply about some of the questions that arise in science fiction novels: should we contact an advanced civilization if we discover a technological signature; if we do choose to make contact with them, what should we tell them about ourselves; how ought we conduct ourselves when interacting with alien life, intelligent or otherwise?
What are your goals and aspirations outside of work?
One thing on my bucket list is to create a bunch of short films in graduate school and a feature-length film one day later in my career. I want to find alternative mediums to express my philosophical interests other than in writing. Sadly, I have encountered that reading is an obstacle to many people’s access to philosophy. I hope that, by expressing my ideas in video format, a wider audience will engage with philosophical topics in the future.
What time of day are you most creative?
I am creative any time of day, so long as I remove all distractions and truly isolate myself in my thoughts. My most creative and productive moment occurred during a camping trip when I was completely isolated from civilization for a short time. I highly recommend that philosophers go on a Descartes meditation style trip at least once per year.
What technology do you wish the human race could discover/create/invent right now?
I wish that there was a way for humans to travel back in time in some kind of causally inert form. Perhaps we could observe the past as some kind of invisible hologram that can’t interact with matter. Further, I hope that time can somehow dilate for us while we’re exploring the past. That way we can observe centuries of humanity without actually aging the same number of years.
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.
Alexis LaBar has a Master’s degree in Philosophy from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Before attending West Chester, she graduated from Moravian University with a Bachelor’s in Philosophy, a minor in Global Religions, and an Ethics certificate. She is the recipient of the 2022 Claghorn Award in Philosophy, awarded by West Chester University, and the 2021 Douglas Anderson Prize in Philosophy, awarded by Moravian University. She is the Editor of the Teaching Beat and Work/Life Balance Beat.
