Senior Teo Hamacher is Northwest Academy’s resident philosopher. He’ll disagree with you on just about anything, and persuade you that even the most blatant of truths is debatable — the existence of truth itself, for example.
Hamacher’s interest in philosophy is uncommon for a high school student, as the subject isn’t known to be easily accessible. He says that one of the issues with philosophy is its inaccessibility.
“[Philosophy] has a very distinct ivory towerism,” Hamacher says. “It’s famous for being very pedantic and obscure.”
Hamacher is looking to break that stereotype with his senior project. He plans to write three to four essays about various topics in 20th century philosophy, and present them in the form of zines, or mini magazines.
“It’s a very grassroots method of distributing information,” says Hamacher. “I thought [it] would be an interesting addition to combine that with philosophy.”
Hamacher entered the world of philosophy in 2019 after riots and protests rocked Portland downtown. He began reading political philosophy in an attempt to understand what was causing the upheaval.
“There was a lot going on politically, and I just felt like I didn’t understand [it],” said Hamacher.
Soon, Hamacher’s interest turned from political philosophers like John Locke toward more traditional philosophy, and he began reading works of famous philosophers including Aristotle and Hegel.
It’s been three years since Hamacher first delved into philosophy, and as his interest grows, he wants to share his passion with others and tear down the walls that isolate philosophy through his project. Hamacher intends to go to college for philosophy, and is also considering a secondary degree in sociology or anthropology. As a high school senior this year, he’s applying to schools including Bennington College, Emory University, Hampshire College, St. John’s University and University of Oregon.
“A dream of mine would be to be able to teach,” says Hamacher. “[Unfortunately,] the world of teaching and academia — especially in the humanities — is difficult and you really have to be the best of the best to succeed, and so it’s kind of a formidable goal.”
Reporting by Tinsley Collins and Shambhava Srikanth
Teo is an oddly sweet, wonderful guy…obviously bright, studious, curious, kind and surprisingly friendly, talkative, and gently patient with those of us less conversant with Aristotle, Plato, Socrates….Marx, Emma Goldman and friends. Can’t wait to see where he goes on to school…Nanna’s pushing UofO; quite like him near! Plus he’s tall, strong, has an eclectic fashion sense, pretty cute with the glasses, cowboy belt buckles and yes, has a terrific appetite, especially for very expensive imported cheeses.