Kayla wrote:my point is not about singer's reasoning here
rather if academic philosophy is to be anything other than self-contained exercise then philosophers need to be taken seriously by nonphilosophers
which is difficult as i have explained
Why should Singer have to consider the opinions of someone who clearly hasn't read, or if they have they haven't understood, what he's saying?
Besides, his ideas are controversial amongst philosophers (actually, pretty much all philosophical ideas are controversial but many of his especially so) so it seems a bit strange that your guidance counsellor focussed on him as representative of philosophy. If you'd said you wanted to go into politics would he have said "what, like Richard Nixon?" You could take your pick of dodgy politicians but the point applies.
Kayla wrote:recently some philosophers wrote a paper suggesting that there is nothing wrong with post birth abortion
they are using an argument similar to singer's in 'practical ethics' arguing that babies are not persons
the problem is that this is making philosophers and anyone with an interest in the field seem like total loons and destroys the credibility of philosophy
i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like
philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies
how do you answer that When I went to school the guidance counselors were also teachers, in that case I would have countered, "by that measure, how many students have you had sex with," or, "I guess that means that all teachers have sex with their students, huh?" either way you show the absurdity of their inference.
its not like singer can be easily dismissed as an obvious kook on the fringes of philosophy - he is not even if he should be
i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like
philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies
how do you answer that
It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.
i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like
philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies
how do you answer that
It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.
You try and turn the other cheek. This allows one to pass by unfettered on egg shells, ensuring the next one to pass experiences the same, thus perpetuating the problem.
I give them and aye for an aye, or a nay for a nay, and with any luck they learn and the cycle is broken.
Yours only cares for the one being stepped upon, but has absolutely no caring for the one doing the stepping. Let's do everyone a favor, not just our own 'kind.'
i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like
philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies
how do you answer that
It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.
You try and turn the other cheek. This allows one to pass by unfettered on egg shells, ensuring the next one to pass experiences the same, thus perpetuating the problem.
I give them and aye for an aye, or a nay for a nay, and with any luck they learn and the cycle is broken.
Yours only cares for the one being stepped upon, but has absolutely no caring for the one doing the stepping. Let's do everyone a favor, not just our own 'kind.'
The Jesus Head wrote:It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.
Good reply to this 'guidance counsellor'.
Although maybe not only the faculty of debating subjects but I agree a large part of the skill-set.
i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like
philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies
how do you answer that
The Jesus Head wrote:
SpheresOfBalance wrote:It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.
You try and turn the other cheek. This allows one to pass by unfettered on egg shells, ensuring the next one to pass experiences the same, thus perpetuating the problem.
I give them and aye for an aye, or a nay for a nay, and with any luck they learn and the cycle is broken.
Yours only cares for the one being stepped upon, but has absolutely no caring for the one doing the stepping. Let's do everyone a favor, not just our own 'kind.'
Even more obtuse language than Chas Whyman
As if you didn't understand my point, or maybe not. Oh the thin veils we don, as a means to shelter us from the truth of our ignorance.
