About

2022.02.06

Hello. My name is Dave Smith. I created this website for three reasons.

First, I am currently enrolled in a masters program at Athabasca University and one of my assignments is to create an ePortfolio to chronicle my work. So, if you see any references on the site to “this course” or “the reading,” sorry about that. I will eventually go back and fix all those little things. Also, please don’t think that because this initiative was extrinsically motivated that it is not genuine.

Which brings me to my second reason…

I have always been inspired by the great pamphleteers and essayists of the past. Martin Luther, Thomas Paine, George Orwell – they didn’t just theorize about the world. They captured it in writing and sought to make it a better, fairer, more humane place. I aspire to work in their tradition and The Digital Pamphleteer is where I will catalogue my attempts.

The third and most important reason is I believe all people live in the same reality and the purpose of education is to work together to make sense of that reality through common understanding. I call that sensemaking process “reality sharing.” The Digital Pamphleteer is a reality sharing enterprise. I’ve long felt that the simple essay genre is one of the best ways to share a perceived reality with others. Thus, what you will find on this site is simply a collection of efforts do just that.

Finally, here is the bullet point summary of myself.

- I did my undergrad at the University of Toronto in philosophy (graduated 2008)

- I have been a career Infantry Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces since then

- I don’t like talking about myself online, but you are encouraged to email me at dave@thedigitalpamphleteer.ca

And finally here is a picture of my wife and me with our dog, Winchester: