Ilmar

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About Me

I was born in Latvia.

Came to the United States and learned English when I was eleven.

Got my BS degree from the University of Illinois in Physics.

Spend a most pleasurable year at the University of Hamburg on a Fulbright Fellowship listening to Herr Professor Carl Freidrich Freiher von Weizsaker (not at all as pompous as his title!) lecture on the different cosmologies peoples have entertained throughout history (and having private tutorials in German from a beautiful lady who spoke no English).

Discovered simultaneously the joys of California, the joys of a real liberal education, and the human potential movement while a graduate student at Stanford.

Received my Ph.D. in Philosophy (with a dissertation in Decision Theory) and the Graduate Honors Program in Humanities from Stanford. Was fascinated by the very different approaches to philosophy of my two dissertation advisors: Donald Davidson and Patrick Suppes. And reveled in the interdisciplinary give and take of the Humanities seminars.

Couldn’t ask for a better gig than being young, male, and a philosophy instructor at Barnard (Columbia University’s women’s college).

Went on to teach philosophy at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. There I heard, right next door, the Cleveland symphony orchestra, brought to chamber music perfection by Szell, give some wonderful performances. The charms of the tea room at the Museum, and an occasional festive ball at the Cleveland Institute of Music added to the cultural attractions of that burning river city. There, too, I learned much about the interaction of the spirit and the body from my Karate instructor, Man Soo Chung, a devout Buddhist and master of the martial art.

Had an absolutely wonderful, and at times bitterly cold, year on a post-doctoral fellowship at Cornell in Max Black’s program in Science Technology and Society.

Moved on to teach Philosophy in the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Maryland in College Park while living in Washington D.C.

Eventually left the academic world for the entrepreneurial attractions of computer technology. I currently design computer software solutions for my clients through my consulting company, Waldner Associates.

Ever since my Stanford days I have become increasingly fascinated by various techniques which were more or less effective at unlocking human potentials: especially techniques articulated by people such as Moreno, Perls, Hubbard, Alan Walter and others—people whom I did not always admire as persons, who sometimes had most dubious and repressive organizations grow around them and whose theories I figured I could dispense with—but whose techniques attempted to directly deal with the most critical issues to my mind: The unblocking of the great potential that exist in every person. So throughout my academic and entrepreneurial life I continued studying these techniques.

For a theoretical map of that territory I find Wilber's work unmatched, especially his work over the last couple of years.

I currently make my home in Oceanside, near San Diego, and can frequently be found at some local milonga dancing Argentine Tango.