Philosophy Now Forum

I will start I don't.

I do.

However philsophy degrees vary country to country greately if web forums are anything to go by, so perhaps elaboration is needed.

For example I've noticed that Americans in posts use formal logic a lot, I'm guessing US degrees put great emphasis on it. Here we didn't touch it even slightly, so it reads like Martian to me. Here's a list of the course I did I keep for memories sake, I wonder how typical it is?

1st Year (basic units)
History of Ideas I (Greeks to Descartes)
History of Ideas II (British Empiricists and Continental Rationalists)
Philosophy of Language (Ayer/Russell/ Vienna Circle/Wittgenstein)
Political Philosophy (Hobbes/Locke/Rousseau/Utilitarianism)
Metaphysics
Epistemology
Continental Philosophy (Non-Enlightenment, Keirkengard/Schopenhauer through to Foucault/Derrida)

2nd and 3rd year (advanced Units)
Husserl/Heidegger
Nietzsche
Artificial Intelligence
Existentialism (Kierkegaard/Heidegger/Sartre/Merle Ponte/Camus)
French Philosophy (Sartre/Barthes/ Kristeva/Derrida/Foucalt)
Philosophy of Cinema
Frankfurt School (Lukacs/Horheimer/Benjamin/Marcuse/Adorno)
Jurisprudence
Structuralism/Post Structuralism (Sassure to Derrida)
Postmodernism (Baudrillard/Lyotard)
Psychology (Jung, Lacan)
Modern Marxism (Althussar/Lefebvre/Gramsci/Habermas)
Parapsychology
Greek Philosophy (Pre-Socratics to Hellenics)

My Dissertation (Lyotard)

got no degree but I keep on advancing my reading... that is, even if I haven't studied subjects in a school I have read a good deal on my own part and intend on continuing advancing myself that way. Degrees are anyways over-emphasized, as what university teaches isn't necessarily anything similar of what is interesting to the crowd of people or to yourself as a individual, though I see a very interesting-looking course in the above guy's list called "Philosophy in Cinema".

Anywho, I always think that the person who educates himself learns the most as he can transcend all the garbage they teach at the university.

Not got a philosophy degree.
I take it this is an academic exercise, since there are no voting buttons on the topic - for stats .

i don't, but i enjoy philosophy very much. although at times i'd rather not.

The closest I get is an MA in Intellectual History.

Areas of interest; Hume and Epicureanism, Darwin and Acquired characteristics, the Enlightenment, Historicism.
Diss: Roots of atheism; Hobbes and Spinoza

The Voice of Time wrote:got no degree but I keep on advancing my reading... that is, even if I haven't studied subjects in a school I have read a good deal on my own part and intend on continuing advancing myself that way. Degrees are anyways over-emphasized, as what university teaches isn't necessarily anything similar of what is interesting to the crowd of people or to yourself as a individual, though I see a very interesting-looking course in the above guy's list called "Philosophy in Cinema".

Anywho, I always think that the person who educates himself learns the most as he can transcend all the garbage they teach at the university.

If you have not been to university you are speaking from ignorance.

It is true that much of what is taught in Uni is garbage, but the very nature of Philosophy means that all the garbage is up for challenge and speculation.

chaz wyman wrote:

The Voice of Time wrote:got no degree but I keep on advancing my reading... that is, even if I haven't studied subjects in a school I have read a good deal on my own part and intend on continuing advancing myself that way. Degrees are anyways over-emphasized, as what university teaches isn't necessarily anything similar of what is interesting to the crowd of people or to yourself as a individual, though I see a very interesting-looking course in the above guy's list called "Philosophy in Cinema".

Anywho, I always think that the person who educates himself learns the most as he can transcend all the garbage they teach at the university.

If you have not been to university you are speaking from ignorance.

It is true that much of what is taught in Uni is garbage, but the very nature of Philosophy means that all the garbage is up for challenge and speculation.

I have never been to an actual university-course lecture no, but I have watched lectures, including this: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... e=view_all, and I have gotten a rather clear picture of what they are teaching, and I did attend high-school lessons in "History and Philosophy" which is history seen with a philosophical perspective. And indeed, it's garbage, but more garbage by principle, because they expect you to learn things which to you may be totally idiotic, and before you say that it's "up for challenge" I must inform you that such kind of an attitude isn't a practical one. There may be a kind-of finite list of philosophical subjects to study (as it's a slowly progressing field), but there's a vast amount which you can study and university just picks out some shit and says "this is important, historically relevant stuff and if you want your damn degree you better do it", and I have read some deal of what this stuff and it's mostly garbage that has near to none practical value. That's what I mean by garbage, by principle, it doesn't conform properly to individual understanding of "good philosophy", philosophy which is inspiring, interesting, practical (yes, I used the word practical because I think a lot of thinking is just hollow and contains no other depth than the words trying to portray it and helps us not even indirectly in life as it's just a dead-end and since we make a lot of dead-ends it's pretty clear that we can't continue to perpetuate their importance).

All that is necessary to know about certain subjects are confined in importance to a wikipedia-article or another similar encyclopaedia. Anywho, of course it depends on the lecturer and how the course is set up, as some individuals can of course be very inspiring as some professors are geniuses stuck with teaching a bunch of undergraduate-idiots, but I take my chances they are the rare sort and not the norm, that most professors and lecturers gain their degree and job by doing what they are told and what is expected of them rather than have some deep sense of purpose in doing this kind of field and this kind of lecture etc.

EDIT: and I have read some philosophical journal articles and they are very indicative of what is taught at university as well as what interests the philosophers

The Voice of Time wrote:

chaz wyman wrote:

The Voice of Time wrote:got no degree but I keep on advancing my reading... that is, even if I haven't studied subjects in a school I have read a good deal on my own part and intend on continuing advancing myself that way. Degrees are anyways over-emphasized, as what university teaches isn't necessarily anything similar of what is interesting to the crowd of people or to yourself as a individual, though I see a very interesting-looking course in the above guy's list called "Philosophy in Cinema".

Anywho, I always think that the person who educates himself learns the most as he can transcend all the garbage they teach at the university.

If you have not been to university you are speaking from ignorance.

It is true that much of what is taught in Uni is garbage, but the very nature of Philosophy means that all the garbage is up for challenge and speculation.

I have never been to an actual university-course lecture no, but I have watched lectures, including this: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... e=view_all, and I have gotten a rather clear picture of what they are teaching, and I did attend high-school lessons in "History and Philosophy" which is history seen with a philosophical perspective. And indeed, it's garbage, but more garbage by principle, because they expect you to learn things which to you may be totally idiotic, and before you say that it's "up for challenge" I must inform you that such kind of an attitude isn't a practical one. There may be a kind-of finite list of philosophical subjects to study (as it's a slowly progressing field), but there's a vast amount which you can study and university just picks out some shit and says "this is important, historically relevant stuff and if you want your damn degree you better do it", and I have read some deal of what this stuff and it's mostly garbage that has near to none practical value. That's what I mean by garbage, by principle, it doesn't conform properly to individual understanding of "good philosophy", philosophy which is inspiring, interesting, practical (yes, I used the word practical because I think a lot of thinking is just hollow and contains no other depth than the words trying to portray it and helps us not even indirectly in life as it's just a dead-end and since we make a lot of dead-ends it's pretty clear that we can't continue to perpetuate their importance).

All that is necessary to know about certain subjects are confined in importance to a wikipedia-article or another similar encyclopaedia. Anywho, of course it depends on the lecturer and how the course is set up, as some individuals can of course be very inspiring as some professors are geniuses stuck with teaching a bunch of undergraduate-idiots, but I take my chances they are the rare sort and not the norm, that most professors and lecturers gain their degree and job by doing what they are told and what is expected of them rather than have some deep sense of purpose in doing this kind of field and this kind of lecture etc.

EDIT: and I have read some philosophical journal articles and they are very indicative of what is taught at university as well as what interests the philosophers

Well I, for one, see that you're a highly intelligent individual with valid points, delivered with decorum, unlike some here. I always look forward to your input. I'm glad you're a part of the forum, you help raise the bar.

PEACE, my friend.

AS TO DEGREE:
Always been interested, naturally; find it everywhere; no degree, studied some, (ran out of money), still paying off the loans of 1993; read a bit here and there. Shall seek the truth of life/universe until the day I die.

SpheresOfBalance wrote: Shall seek the truth of life/universe until the day I die.[/color]

Now that's the spirit of philosophy

VoiceofTime

Your intellect astounds me! You are what every thinking woman would desire

I am to start some kind of fan-club? Because you're not the only one here who insists on flattering me ^^ I usually ignore comments like that because I've always found it rather a risky business to value others appreciations, as they can quickly seize them away. Something which usually leads to people getting pretty annoyed that I don't appreciate their appreciations ^^

EDIT: btw, those "thinking women" probably hasn't seen me in real life. I'm a homeless, hairy (once a person asked if I was a Muslim [this was not in Norway!] 'cause of my big beard)... I have been called a barbarian once. Incapable of getting a job, not finished high school. Has repeatedly eaten garbage out of the bin to survive, got a bit of fat on me also, and my feet are pretty ugly after being literally worn to tears. Sleeping on park benches and living off other people's money, including family, friends, people who throws coin into my lap, and the government... oooh yeah, I'm a dream-man ^^ I am young though, 20 years, in the best time of my life shall we believe some folk, so at least some prospect in me

The Voice of Time wrote:I am to start some kind of fan-club? Because you're not the only one here who insists on flattering me ^^ I usually ignore comments like that because I've always found it rather a risky business to value others appreciations, as they can quickly seize them away. Something which usually leads to people getting pretty annoyed that I don't appreciate their appreciations ^^

EDIT: btw, those "thinking women" probably hasn't seen me in real life. I'm a homeless, hairy (once a person asked if I was a Muslim [this was not in Norway!] 'cause of my big beard)... I have been called a barbarian once. Incapable of getting a job, not finished high school. Has repeatedly eaten garbage out of the bin to survive, got a bit of fat on me also, and my feet are pretty ugly after being literally worn to tears. Sleeping on park benches and living off other people's money, including family, friends, people who throws coin into my lap, and the government... oooh yeah, I'm a dream-man ^^ I am young though, 20 years, in the best time of my life shall we believe some folk, so at least some prospect in me

The reason you were getting flattered was because of your previous picture. Changing that will change people's outlook of you.
Your previous image made you look like an angry disabled person, maybe with MD, or MS.

The Voice of Time wrote:I am to start some kind of fan-club? Because you're not the only one here who insists on flattering me ^^ I usually ignore comments like that because I've always found it rather a risky business to value others appreciations, as they can quickly seize them away. Something which usually leads to people getting pretty annoyed that I don't appreciate their appreciations ^^

EDIT: btw, those "thinking women" probably hasn't seen me in real life. I'm a homeless, hairy (once a person asked if I was a Muslim [this was not in Norway!] 'cause of my big beard)... I have been called a barbarian once. Incapable of getting a job, not finished high school. Has repeatedly eaten garbage out of the bin to survive, got a bit of fat on me also, and my feet are pretty ugly after being literally worn to tears. Sleeping on park benches and living off other people's money, including family, friends, people who throws coin into my lap, and the government... oooh yeah, I'm a dream-man ^^ I am young though, 20 years, in the best time of my life shall we believe some folk, so at least some prospect in me

But you have a computer.

and......... never take too seriously what is said.