Patrick D. Anderson is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Central State University and editor of the WikiLeaks Bibliography. His research focuses on the history of Africana philosophy and applied ethics and technology. He is the author of Cypherpunk Ethics: A Radical Ethics for the Digital Age(2022) and Anti-colonialism, Ontology, and Semiotics: A Cinematic Exploration (forthcoming 2025).
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
I’m not sure what my childhood self would say to that, but my mom tells this story about taking me on a carousel when I was a toddler. Unlike the other kids, I was not amused by the fancy horses; I was trying to see the gears inside the center of the ride. I apparently would rather understand how and why something works rather than be entertained by it. That’s probably still true today.
What excites you about philosophy?
Asking questions. Answers are limiting because they close down conversation, but questions are exciting because they open up conversation. Questions invite creativity and exploration.
Which books have changed your life? In what ways?
C. Wright Mills’ The Power Elite because it articulated so many ideas I never knew I always had, and Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth because it contained so many ideas I never knew I always needed. Taken together, these books showed me it was possible to break the liberalism vs. marxism deadlock in political theory.
What’s your personal philosophy?
My philosophical temperament probably most closely resembles Diogenes of Sinope or Jean-Jacques Rousseau—something along the lines of the Cynic-Romantic tradition in Western philosophy. Most philosophers think humans generally have things right and that we just need to fix a few things to stay on the right track. I think humans have generally gotten things completely wrong, and everything needs to be rethought from the bottom up. It is difficult to re-think everything without challenging and changing our core beliefs and values. While arguments can sometimes effectively persuade people to adopt a new view, arguments are not very effective at changing people’s core beliefs and values, which are often axiomatic. Thus, to really re-think everything, I adopt the iconoclasm of the Cynics and Romantics, rejecting all custom and subjecting it to a combination of rational scrutiny and affective mockery. Everything should be questioned; nothing should be sacred.
What topic do you think is underexplored in philosophy?
Encryption. Public-key crypto systems make security possible in our digital age, but even a quick search of PhilPapers for terms like “cryptography,” cryptanalysis,” and “cryptology” yields relatively few results. Sure, there are studies of encryption in the context of the ethics or politics of privacy, but it would be very interesting to see studies of the ontology, epistemology, or axiology of encryption.
What do you like to do outside work?
I am always reading. My research is an extension of my hobbies, so the stuff I publish represents intellectual puzzles that have attracted my attention. But I also play music (when I have time), and I have an enormous collection of films on VHS. Most importantly, I like to spend time with my fiancée—going to thrift stores, singing karaoke, traveling, and just plain being silly.
What are your top three favorite films of all time?
Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future, Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz, and David Mirkin’s Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion—in that order!
When did you last sing to yourself or to someone else?
Well, I’m always singing random little ditties about anything I see, usually to and/or about my cat, Marley. A ditty a day keeps other people away, especially if you aren’t a very good singer.
Which superpower would you like to have?
I used to ask students this as a first-day-of-class icebreaker, and one student said, “Sharks for arms.” All I know is that I do not want sharks for arms.
What’s your poison?
Dr. Pepper.
What would you like your last meal to be?
Pizza.
What technology do you wish the human race could discover/create/invent right now?
Actually, I wish we would un-invent some of the technologies we already have.
If you could be anyone else for a day, who would that be and why?
One time when Alexander the Great visited Athens, he went to see Diogenes. “You are a great philosopher,” Alexander told the Cynic. “If I were not Alexander, I would want to be Diogenes.” “And if I were not Diogenes,” he replied, “I would want to be Diogenes.”
What’s your favorite quote?
“It’s all bullshit, folks. It’s all bullshit, and it’s bad for ya.”—George Carlin
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