Jon Fisher/Collegian
Freshman Gennady Stolyarov II wrote an 80-page treatise on material objectivism.
Hillsdale has in its midst a stimulating philosopher, amateur mathematician, intermediate composer, editor-in-chief of The Rational Argumentator, science-fiction novelist and chief administrator of the Methusalah Foundation Fund.
All this he accomplished before even enrolling at the college. He is freshman Gennady Stolyarov II.
Frequently found in a dress shirt and tie, Stolyarov maintains a professional and structured impression, which he occasionally betrays with sneakers, sweatpants or misplaced business cards.
Stolyarov complements his appearance by articulate speech and engaging debate. He is the kind of man who thinks through his ideas before discussing them.
“Whenever I look at him I think he’s forming syllogisms in his mind from what he hears—all day long,” junior Stephen Gaetano said.
Some, considering him stubborn, have dubbed him Robespierre. However, he insists that it is persistence that drives his goals, even in the goal of substituting an “f” spelling in words with the inefficient “ph.”
Stolyarov’s idiosyncrasies stem from his early life in Minsk, Belarus under the former Soviet Union. His parents, who named him after his grandfather, would always answer his childlike questions with adult responses.
They also decided to move to Illinois to provide him with a higher standard of living, though Stolyarov says he considered his Illinois school insufficient for a plenary education.
“I saw that in order to be self-reliant, I would have to take matters into my own hands,” Stolyarov said. “In order to be better than the mean, you had to be different from it. That’s what I tried to be.”
Stolyarov devoured worldviews written by authors such as Voltaire and Ayn Rand, provoking many ideas of his own. In an effort to remember and promote his ideas, he created and edits The Rational Argumentator, an online magazine which advocates rights, reason, and progress. Writing for TRA taught Stolyarov how to express himself eloquently.
“He seems a very capable expert in the objectivist point of view,” Don Westblade, assistant professor of religion, said.
Stolyarov has also written an 80-page treatise on material objectivism, arguing against accepted theories on time, matter and the universe at large. According to Stolyarov, this essay is simply an extrapolation of objectivist observations.
“We can’t use particular observations to contradict ubiquitous observations,” Stolyarov said. “Essentially, science is the handmaiden of philosophy, as is everything else.”
Despite being so philosophically inclined, Stolyarov intends to major in economics and math, and to minor in German. He finds philosophy a means to an economic end.
“I’m engaged in philosophy because I believe that morality is necessary for profit on this earth,” Stolyarov said. “Philosophy is behind every choice you make.”
To demonstrate how his views could operate in society, Stolyarov has written a novel entitled “Eden against the Colossus” about a future world, prosperous and rational until environmentalist mystics and aliens challenge it.
“With the increased prosperity comes an increased [contrary] reaction,” Stolyarov said.
The aliens, worshiping hallucinations, attempt to serve their gods by suffering. Only the objectivist scientists have the ability to save this race.
Stolyarov intends to publish eventually.
Because he craves productivity, Stolyarov has also composed many musical compositions that mimic eighteenth-century, romantic and modern music.
“This creation of harmony is one more way to distill order on nature,” Stolyarov said. “One of my principles is that if something is worth doing it is worth doing well.”
However, out of the fear of losing his reason and order, Stolyarov is looking for an opportunity to cheat death, becoming chief administrator for the Methuselah Foundation Fund.
“I have always seen my greatest nemesis as death,” Stolyarov said. “I learned of death ever since I was three and cried for several hours when I learned it was inevitable.”
The fund endeavors aid research on aging, beginning with experiments on mice. Stolyarov expects that the problems of aging will be conquered within his lifetime. He simply wants to lend a hand to the cure.
For now, Stolyarov has chosen to enjoy life’s little hurdles. The bigger issues will have to wait.
“We don’t live a lifetime all at once,” Stolyarov said. “We live it one day at a time.”