In Profile: Daniel Sanderson
Today we’re doing an exciting profile about Executive Contributor Daniel Sanderson We are going to talk a little about founder of Planksip and Cameron Journal Executive contributor Daniel Sanderson. His journey to founding planksip and doing philosophy in the world has been quite a journey. Let’s dive into his background and interests.
How I Met Daniel
Daniel and I met quite accidentally. He was looking for shows and found mine. He booked in a time to talk, and we honestly had no idea who each other were at the time. He introduced me to the wonderful Ty Keyes as well. We immediately connected over the show and content and podcasting, but we became friends over philosophy. He also introduced me to Wade Fransson, with whom I have had a very productive relationship.
Philosophy is Dan’s thing above all and having been a member of philosophy club and 1 class short of a philosophy minor, we connected about that immediately. I remember our first conversation was so impossibly awkward but in further conversations we managed to find a unique bond.
We had several long conversations early on about philosophy, politics, literature, and art. We ended up making some wonderful videos about literary figures like Ayn Rand and others. Our Literary Legends shorts did really well, and I was impressed by many of the questions he asked and how he put the whole thing together. We also did a segment with Dan about the history of Fashion. I was just doing my series Fashion Moves the World with Bradi MacSleyne, and we did 90 minutes on the history of fashion, and it made for great bonus content. His fashion sense is what I like to call, “Canada-Chic” and it was fun to talk about the history and philosophy of fashion with someone that is…disconnected from modern movements in fashion.
Now, Daniel is an Executive Contributor here at The Cameron Journal and I write regularly on Planksip.
Daniel’s Philosophy
The best and most interesting part about Daniel is that he is not formally educated in philosophy. He comes from a background of architecture and construction. When I met him, he was still working with companies in Canada on building projects. However, that has not stopped him from making in-roads into philosophy. He has created some of the best philosophy content on YouTube. His channels analyze both modern and ancient philosophy, and he has steadily built Planksip into a philosophical center.
He has brought together wonderful contributors on various subjects, but I find that he tends to gravitate towards Plato and a certain stoicism in his own thoughts. He used to co-host a weekly podcast with Wade Fransson, and they would go back and forth on a variety of topics and in my appearances on the show, I found Daniel to be a helpful Platonic weight against Wade’s strident Christianity. As someone who is not religious, I found that perspective to be really helpful. I was disappointed when he moved on from the show because it gave us such a peek into the perspective of the ancient world and how many things have changed since the advent of Christianity.
I would say Dan really focuses on first principles in his work. He really wants to dig into the enduring values of the ancient world and how they apply to our lives today. I think Daniel has been a part of the current obsession with stoicism in online and other spaces. As opposed to many of the increasingly vitriolic and relative moralist movements of the past decade, Dan offers us a wisdom that endures in this work. It is refreshing at times.
Daniel Off Work
In our working together, we’ve had a variety of personal moments. I’ve always enjoyed his unique perspective. He is a few years older than I am and has found success for himself. I’ve talked with him about his wife and his children. As I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, where he does, we often talk about regional politics. Daniel always reminds me of so many of my old philosophy club friends from college.
He has his moments of insecurity just like the rest of us, but I think the thing I admire most is his ability to rise above it all. Whether it’s his family or business, he is always himself and I think that shows a certain strength of character and will that is so rarely on display these days. I aspire to be that even-keeled. He is always himself, and I think that says a lot about him as a man.
Final Thoughts
Daniel has been a big part of The Cameron Journal and my increased growth, and we’re so happy to have him a part of The Cameron Journal Academy with his new course on Plato, and we are so happy to have him as an Executive Contributor too. I am glad that I met Dan, he has been a source of encouragement and solace for me at a personal level but he has also helped create some great content. I would encourage anyone who has a serious interest in doing philosophy to check out Dan and Planksip.
