[MD] Drug User or Genius?

[ARLO J BENSINGER JR]

[Akshay]
Yes, I'd say I agree with it on most points. I hadn't known this school partly
because of my ignorance to developing a formal knowledge of schools of
philosophy, thus I have been unable to briefly summarise my views as "I'm a
Stoicist". I wonder if knowledge of all "ism"s would be philosophising?

[Arlo]
Yes, I'd say that "formal knowledge of schools of philosophy" (knowledge of all
'isms') is what Pirsig would call philosophology. I'm not trying to back you
into some ism-corner, by the way, I just noticed some similarity between what
you had said in a few posts, and the stoic school of thinking. Along with the
stoics, the ascetics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism) practiced
"abstinence from worldly pleasures (austerity)", but did so towards a
spiritual, rather than intellectual, end. You may want to check out what they
had said as well. Sometimes these schools of thought can help guide us towards
a more formal representation of our own beliefs. But at only 16, I'd say it
appears you are many strides closer than most others your age.

Again, welcome.

Arlo