The District 9 Objection to Metaphysics

There's something absurd about trying to settle complicated metaphysical questions from the philosophical armchair--but sometimes there's value in trying our best to do exactly that.

In 2009, I was a graduate student in the Philosophy Department at the University of Miami. And yes, typing that sentence makes me feel downright Methuselah-ish but I’m just going to keep going.

I was living in South Beach, a few blocks from the ocean in one direction and the movie theater on Lincoln Road in another. I can distinctly remember walking out …