Since I am a philosopher and what is done here is mainly philosophy, it is appropriate that ‘philosopher’ be in the title.  As for ‘maverick,’ this word derives from the name of the Texas lawyer Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870) who for a time was a rancher who ran cattle that bore no brand. These unbranded animals of his came to be known as mavericks.  The term was then extended to cover any unbranded stock and later any person who holds himself aloof from the herd, bears no ‘brand,’ resists classification, strives to be independent in his thinking or mode of living, is religiously or politically unaffiliated, and the like.  (Cf. Robert Hendrickson, QPB Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, p. 473.) http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com