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thephilosopherhammer

@thephilosopherhammer

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🏛PhD Student - Moral Psychology🏛
🏋🏼‍♀️Strength Enthusiast🏋🏾
🏺Bon Vivant🏺

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Last week I had the honor of presenting my research and commenting on the research of my colleagues at the Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress (aptly referred to as RoME). There are many things that bring me joy in this world. Discussing ethical theory and practice with highly intelligent, equally passionate people is one of them. Cheers to another year.

📸: Alastair Norcross taken in University of Colorado Boulder by @thephilosopherhammer

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2 years ago

Once someone told me: that the “negative” emotions were useless and we should try only to be happy all the time. With that, I disagree.

Once someone told me: that all emotions were useless, that they got in the way of rationality and we should try to avoid all of them altogether. With that I disagree.

Once someone told me: the Only purpose of the emotions was to give us a chance to practice observation, that none of them mean anything. With that I disagree.

I believe emotions are a source of infinite motivation, inspiration and guidance. I am easily and often overwhelmed by my emotions, and I give thanks. I am thankful for the opportunity to practice observation; to become aware when the emotions shift and possibly even why the emotions shift.

Anger is a tool. It tells me when something is unjust. Feeling anger seeing someone litter is good. In motivates me to act (throw their trash away, not yell at them!) and inspires me to work even harder at wasting less. Anger at a car driving slow in the fast lane is good as well. It guides me towards a realization about my ego, sense of entitlement and capacity for compassion.

This is sharpening the mind.

Today, try this: think of a time when you were happy. Where were you? What were you doing or saying? Who were you around? What was being said or done to you? Next, notice the next time you are happy and ask all the same questions. Then ask what is the common ground? What is my happiness trying to tell me?
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#dailymeditation #selfimprovement #greatwork #selfwork #mindfulmovement taken in New York, New York by @thephilosopherhammer

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6 years ago

Rome was awesome. Beautiful, delicious, energetic, kind and tragic. The Catholic Church has ransacked this city. They’ve stripped every mosaic, stolen every statue and made off with every scrap of marble. They’ve locked it all away in their walled citadel and left behind only crumbling brick and the Dream that was Rome. Yet, like the best dreams, it clings resiliently to the corners of our vision. Where the details are hazy the emotions are haunting. I am so thankful for the opportunity to see and feel the culture that has inspired me throughout my life. 🏛🏛🏛 “If we could be reborn wherever we chose, how crowded Rome would be, populated by souls who had spent their previous lives longing to inhabit a villa on the Janiculum Hill” - Francine Prose by @thephilosopherhammer

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8 years ago

Summer ‘24 - Cape Cod, Mass. taken in Great Island by @thephilosopherhammer

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2 years ago

Earlier this month someone told me that the least physically flexible people they knew were always the least intellectually flexible. The observation is likely conjectural, and at best coincidental. However, I’d bet nearly everyone acknowledges that being inflexible, whether intellectually or physically, is a bad thing.

What is probably less widely acknowledged is that being *too* flexible, both physically and intellectually, is also a bad thing. (One of my training partners used to say, “don’t be so open minded your brain falls out.”) As is often the case, the mean between the two extremes is best.

But how to know where the mean lies?

I have always favored the concept of ‘load bearing’. A position, whether intellectual or physical, ought to be able to bear load. For physical positions, that means strength and control. If you can sit into an ATG squat but can’t get up out of it, you’re probably flexible enough to be a risk to yourself. For intellectual positions, if you can convince (or allow) yourself to believe an idea for which there is no evidence and of which you can offer no coherent defense, you’re probably flexible enough to be a risk to yourself.

I’m not saying it doesn’t feel good to get into deep stretches and baseless beliefs. I’m not saying being extremely flexible will always lead to bad consequences. If you never leave your yoga studio or ideological bubble, the risk of extreme flexibility will probably never actualize. But if you’re the kind of person who wants to get out there and participate in the world, you’ll do better with a strong body and a strong mind.

Flexibility + Strength = Mobility. A mobile body will adapt to new positions better than one that is only strong or merely flexible. A mobile mind will adapt to new ideas and situations better than one which is only flexible or merely strong.

In this video, I show two mobility movements that build strength and flexibility. Intellectual mobility is harder to capture on film, but longtime followers know I place nothing higher than a good debate. by @thephilosopherhammer

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3 years ago

Remembering last year’s Summer Solstice 🌞 taken in Stonehenge by @thephilosopherhammer

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3 years ago

Only got like 25 on video but whatever. Celebrate life. taken in Solace New York by @thephilosopherhammer

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4 years ago

Weightlifter’s Birthday Workout-
-Load: Bodyweight (175 for me)
-Reps: Years Old (36 on the 15th)
-Movement: Snatch (if snatch is not possible, replace with clean & jerk. If clean and jerk is not possible replace with the following, in order of preference: front squat, back squat, deadlift. If the athlete cannot deadlift Bodyweight, instead dig a hole 6 feet long, 6 feet deep, lay down in it and await Death).
•••
So thankful for my body, my mind, my heart, my years, and the people I’ve been fortunate enough to share it all with. Special thanks to @jaywagner724 for making this year’s efforts so easy. Next year will be even better. #notdeadyet by @thephilosopherhammer

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4 years ago

One of the things I’ve been enjoying about my morning group is the fact that we’ve worked together over a long period. Oftentimes with beginners the errors or shortcomings in their lifting are so severe that cueing speed or aggression will only exacerbate the problem, further limiting performance. However, when you’ve been working with an athlete for long enough, in this case years, you establish a solid enough base of technique that cueing can be focused on things like speed or aggression and still yield a net positive result. This is fun as an athlete because you get to really unleash your potential. As a coach, you have a wonderful opportunity to refine your gaze, to find correlations between quality of movement and daily potential. With athletes like Julie, we’ve plucked the low hanging fruit. Now the only ones left, we must strain to reach, but for our struggle the reward is all the sweeter.

Perhaps surprisingly, I attribute the longevity of our relationship to variety. While Julie and I have been working together for years, we haven’t been working together exclusively. Though I know a thing or two about weightlifting, I do not posses nearly the knowledge necessary to keep someone performing at her level, for as long as she has. Physical therapists, bodyworkers, wellness practitioners, personal trainers, fitness instructors and other coaches all contribute to her success, and therefor mine, and our ability to work together. I am thankful to both Julie and the numerous other professionals who support her for their collective work, especially Tim Hollander and Jonathan Wagner.

I think you can see from the smile on her face she thinks this is pretty cool too. by @thephilosopherhammer

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4 years ago

Little life update, some bragging and a thank you:

I don’t often share life updates. A lot of times my life choices “don’t make sense” to most people. Some of you remember when I decided to switch from electoral campaign work to… coaching weightlifting?? And surely all of you remember when I decided to leave the greatest city in the world for a *gasp* ~southern~ state!? (Someone actually said it to me just like that, gasp and all.)

So what’s next? I am incredibly proud to inform you that I’ve been accepted into a philosophy PhD program and will be starting as a full time student in the fall. For those that don’t know, philosophy programs are extremely competitive. My school received over 250 applications and has accepted 3 people. The best program in the country received over 800 applications and has made 7 offers. That’s a 99% “fail” rate. Even I am not arrogant enough to say that I’m *smarter* than 99% of the world, but I’m a lot more *something* than the majority of people. I’ll let you decide what that is.

Since there’s no real quantitative element to philosophy graduate applications, the writing sample is everything. So, to everyone who read something I wrote in the last year, and especially those who gave me feedback, THANK YOU!! I do not think I could’ve done it without your support or necessary criticism. And to everyone who has asked, “who ah,… who is your target audience?” there’s your answer. Philosophy admissions teams. 😂 I am trying to write more “normal” going forward, promise.

Anyway, tank you again for reading and just doing this crazy life together with me. Maybe see you soon.

-Nick taken in Caw Caw Interpretive Center County Park by @thephilosopherhammer

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5 years ago

Since some people apparently don’t view my stories (which, ew) here’s a hard post to remind you:
Saturday March 12th, 8:30 AM
Bars & Bells Throwdown w/ @_coach_sarah hosted by @solacenewyork
A 90 minute combination of strength, skill, conditioning and physique using kettlebells and barbells, suitable for all skill levels.
Limited free spots for solace members, first come first served for everyone else.
Links in Bio
See you on the platform! taken in Solace New York by @thephilosopherhammer

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5 years ago

Whatever you find to do, do it with all your might. Whether working, or smiling, or crying. For there is no working, nor smiling, nor crying, nor knowing in the place where we are going.
#distinguishedgentleman taken in Charleston, South Carolina by @thephilosopherhammer

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5 years ago