William F. Vallicella, the Maverick Philsopher, posted a letter he recieved, in which the writer asks:
Is it possible for someone who has chosen to not pursue advanced degrees in philosophy to actually develop the same or close to the same acumen as someone such as you?
I've excerpted Professor Vallicella's respose in part, but do read it in its entirety.
You ask whether it is possible to develop a degree of acumen similar to mine without pursuing advanced degrees in philosophy. I would say that it is if you have enough natural aptitude and are extremely dedicated and hard-working. My view is that all education is in the end self-education: universities and their degree programs merely provide a framework within which one pursues one's education — or else fails to pursue it. But that may be too generous. Universities and their degree programs merely provide a framework within which one pursues a credential. Someone sufficiently self-reliant and independent can often do better outside academe especially nowadays with the decline of the universities.***
The life of the independent scholar is easier than it used to be given the vast resources of the World Wide Web. Of course, you have to learn to pick your way through the garbage and find your way to the worthwhile sites.
One resource I would recomend is Ronald Gross, Independent Scholar's Handbook. You may find this inspiring as well as informative.
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What you need to do is write, write, write about topics that interest you while soliciting comments and criticisms from competent individuals. And if you write, you owe it to yourself to publish, first in the lesser venues, but eventually in the best print journals.
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