The occasion for writing the letter was one of those reflective early mornings people sometimes have when one's mind is invaded with 'ultimate' type questions. I set about writing out my ideas on the matter--in this case, "What difference does it make to devote oneself to creating and conveying to others my ideas?" Ordinarily, one keeps these kinds of thoughts to oneself or shares them with only a close friend. But, in this case, what I have written expresses as much a personal philosophy about teaching, about being a scholar, about working in a university setting, and so on, that I thought it useful as a way to contribute to a personal philosophy section.
The letter has three parts. The first part of the letter introduces the issue, the second part gives standard answers to the issue, and the last part, which gives at least one resolution to the issue.
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