Quentin Smith

Quentin Smith is a philosopher and philosophy professor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is most well-known for his work in the philosophy of time, philosophy of language, philosophy of physics and philosophy of religion. However, Smith himself is not limited in his interests, which occasionally branch out into the philosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, and philosophy of religion. Smith is also a painter and a poet, both of which he utilizes for philosophical expression just as much as his philosophical writing.

Smith began his quest into philosophy in an attempt to answer the question, "What is the meaning of life?" when he was disappointed by what he observed in the lives of other people. He was originally trained as a continental philosoper, with a particular affinity for Heidegger. It was said that he had read Being and Time so many times through that he found himself able to recite passages in full from memory, even recalling what page of his edition they appeared on. Later, he made the switch to analytic philosophy when he found the continental tradition unsatisfactory. However, he has never given up his belief that the topics the continentals were interested in are valid and worthy topics for philosophical analysis.

Quentin Smith has published over 100 articles; however, this is a mere fraction of what he has actually written. He is so deeply devoted to doing philosophy that he writes an exorbitant amount almost daily, much of which is never even read by anyone else, if only for the reason that once he finishes a piece, he quickly moves onto something new. It is not uncommon for Smith to simply forget to send articles for review for publishing. In fact, it is not uncommon for him to forget to send manuscripts in for publishing. Of his books, he has published three of his own, co-authored two, and co-authored and edited three. He is also the chief editor for Philo and an editor for Prometheus Books. Philosophers, young and old, from all over the world, on a regular basis send Smith their work for review. Occasionally, some physicists send him their theories for his insightful interpretations of them. At all times, Quentin Smith has an enormous list of things to do; but he has no fear of deadlines, and frequently ignores them, with little or no repercussions.

Most of his articles and even the content of some of his books are available on his website: http://www.qsmithwmu.com/. However, it is in need of updating, which is hopefully coming soon.

There is much to be said about his personal life that provides entertaining stories of his very different and unconventional character. At the beginning of his career, he was offered jobs at a few prestigious schools, but turned them down precisely because of their prestige. He refused to surround himself with those who were concerned with prestige, something Smith finds abhorrent. Instead, he took a job at a relatively unknown program where he thought he would encounter "real" philosophers. But he grew disappointed even there, quit the job, and wandered himself onto a lonely beach somewhere in South Carolina. There he lived on the beach for three months, living on mostly nuts and water, contemplating the ocean, the sky, existence, the meaning of life, and the meaning of the world-whole. He was urged to leave by a hurricane that hit the beach; he escaped it on foot, for 12 miles.

For his students, he is a source of inspiration. He is deeply interested in questions about life and existence that so many of us as humans ask about our own lives, students tend to feel that they are gaining something very meaningful to their lives from what Smith has to teach them. But Smith's technique is geared more towards pushing the student to search him or herself for the answers to the questions; he is more interested in what the student him or herself really thinks, rather than what he or she has been taught by other philosophers. While he does teach his own views and theories in most of his courses, he pushes students to criticize and argue against him; if no one does, it is not uncommon for him to provide them with some opposing theories. Essentially, Smith is genuinely interested in the quest for truth and wisdom, and he is ready and willing to learn from his students should they provide some insight that he did not have.

If one desires to get to know Quentin Smith, he suggests reading his philosophical works, his poetry, and contemplating his paintings, for he claims that 95% of who he is, is in his works, and only about 5% is present during interaction with him. While most people tend to think that he is a bit strange, he chooses to be as unconventional as those around him will tolerate, for he believes that convention is worthy of testing. It is often thought that he is "off in his own world" or "out there" most of the time; however, he pays attention to much more than most people realize, and while he may not remember your name or what you look like, he will remember what you said with the utmost detail. About himself, he admits that he is "challenged in practical matters."