About X.J. Walker

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Philosophy, science, and spirituality are three ways we explain this strange process we call human existence and necessarily are forms of social commentary. it is naive to think otherwise. They provide us with theoretical frameworks to understand our world, our actions, and our motivations, our place in the world, how we relate to others, and what it means to be alive. But, these fields become stagnant, complacent, and comfortable and often out of touch with the very subject they attempt to explain. This blog challenges those frameworks dogma and sacred cows as they affect our daily lives. There are critical points in one's life when we must push ourselves to be provocative and question everything we think we know. Challenging one's thinking improves lives, the life of the challenger and the challenged.

Let's start with social commentary and why how we frame any debate entails social commentary. Uncontroversially defined, social commentary is the act of observing and commenting on society and its institutions. It can take many forms, including art, literature, music, film, fashion, and even intentional acts like speech and behavior. Social commentary is often provocative because it challenges the status quo and raises questions about the way things are. It can be both critical and constructive, pointing out flaws in society while also suggesting ways to improve it. Social commentary can be seen as a form of activism because it seeks to bring about change by raising awareness and encouraging action or can be conservative and preservative. Social commentary is a powerful tool for exposing injustices and bringing attention to issues that are often ignored. But what happens when we become complacent in our commentary? When do we stop pushing boundaries and start accepting the status quo? We must be willing to challenge the very foundations of our social structures and question how they perpetuate inequality and oppression. Only then can we truly make progress towards a more just society? On the other hand, we must be ready to recognize when what is new isn't always better. Recent philosophical and political trends point to a return to ancient forms of life like stoicism. 

Philosophy is the study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, ethics, and reality. Starting with Plato, the Western tradition thought philosophy was somehow transcendent,  "meta" (to use a now common though often inaccurate description) from the messy world of everyday life. I reject this view of what philosophy can accomplish. Even if someone can spend their everyday waxing philosophical about things somehow removed from life I have no use for detached theories that don't help people flourish. Philosophers have been asking provocative questions for thousands of years, from Socrates to Derrida. Philosophical inquiry can challenge our assumptions and beliefs, and it can be uncomfortable to confront ideas that challenge our worldview. But philosophy can also be liberating because it is through questioning that we can begin to explore new ideas. But it's the "cash value" of those ideas that matters to me. Philosophy has a rich history of questioning conventional thinking and challenging our assumptions about the world. However, too often it has locked itself in an ivory tower, disconnected from the realities of everyday life. One of my goals is to return philosophy to its rightful place at the center of the contemplative but engaged life and reengage with philosophy in a way that is accessible and relevant to the issues of our time. We can use philosophy to question the very foundations of our beliefs and challenge ourselves to think beyond what is comfortable or familiar.

Like philosophy, psychology can be provocative because it challenges our assumptions about our relationships with one's self and others. Psychology is part science and part art. Psychology runs parallel to philosophy when it can be used to help us better understand ourselves and our relationships with others, but it can also be used to manipulate and control people. As such, it is important to approach psychology with a critical eye. Few people read psychology journals. While academic philosophers pushed to publish or perish have made their work largely irrelevant psychology has suffered under an "inferiority complex" to borrow from one of its more important founders and is often reductionist, reducing complex human experiences to a series of diagnostic categories. This taxonomical approach to mental health bolstered by the "health" insurance industrial complex has often done as much harm as good by ignoring the art of therapy. I seek to challenge the narrow definitions of mental health and well-being and question how they are shaped by social and cultural factors by empowering individuals through the pursuit of human flourishing and challenging the historical determinism inherent in a disease model of mental health. 

Finally, spirituality can be provocative because it challenges our understanding of the world and our place in it. It can be both comforting and unsettling to contemplate the idea that there may be more to life than what we can see and touch. Conversely,  subjecting long-held metaphysical beliefs to scrutiny and analysis can find those beliefs wanting and thus challenge our assumptions and beliefs about ourselves and the world around us which may force us to abandon conventional beliefs we've adopted. Spirituality is a deeply personal and subjective experience, but too often it can become a tool for conforming to social norms or escaping reality and one's obligations to this world in exchange for some imagined afterlife. We must be willing to challenge how spirituality is used to oppress not only others but the will of the individual, and question the very foundations of our spiritual beliefs. 

In conclusion, philosophy, psychology, and spirituality are all powerful tools for understanding the human experience and revealing worth when they can make a difference. In this way, they are at their best when their pursuit entails social commentary and action. However, to truly challenge conventional thinking, we must push ourselves to be provocative, to question everything we think we know, and to never become complacent. It is important to approach these areas of inquiry with a critical eye and a willingness to question our assumptions and biases. Only by doing so can we truly grow and evolve as individuals and as a society. By exploring these areas of inquiry, we can deepen our understanding of ourselves and others, and we can strive to create a better world.