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Tue 1 Jan, 2008 01:42 pm
I was talking to a friend of mine on new years eve, who I have not seen for some time. He is studying philosophy at edinburgh, and I was really interested in hearing what he had to say about his experience thus far, and I was quite surprised.
Expecting him to go off on some huge philosophical rant, instead, when I asked him how it was going, he said "its good, but the people in my class are just idiots, the people who are always talking don't seem to have a clue on what they are talking about, and the people who do understand, barley say a thing. And it always seems to come down to people saying "No, what I am trying to say is....", and it just gets really frustrating!" His main complaint was that people would only entertain an idea if they agreed with it, and they seemed to disregard so much.
I was surprised to hear this, and was just wondering if anyone else has experienced similar situations.
Re: Frustrating philosophy!
Gilbey wrote:... people would only entertain an idea if they agreed with it, and they seemed to disregard so much ...
I ... was just wondering if anyone else has experienced similar situations.
Yes, on Able2know!
I meant in a classroom, at university, not on an internet forum.
Gilbey wrote:I meant in a classroom, at university, not on an internet forum.
I have encountered it in classrooms at university as well. It's normal. My friend studies computer science at Edinburgh and it sounds like it's the same for him.
I tried to study philosophy, and it became a brief encounter.
One professor particularly annoyed me. He'd taken his doctorate in philosophy by studying Kant for ten years.
What annoyed me was that no matter what he was asked he couldn't reply with anything but a quote from Kant.
He's written a few books on philosophy as well, and those I've read are really disappointing. Endless stacks of quotes on quotes glued losely together by his empty ramblings.
I was so disappointed that I quit. The man was nothing but an old jukebox spewing out old philosophers words. If there was an issue that wasn't covered by any of his favorite philosophers he was as helpful in dealing with it as a frog in a bar.
I got out of there having learned one important thing.
To study philosophy will not make you a philosopher. It will make you an historian with emphasis on ideas through the centuries.
Philosophers aren't educated. They are born. Either you possess the curiosity, inquisitive mind and love for wisdom, or you don't. No amount of schooling can change that.
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