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Faust13 asks:
Can you explain that without the buzzwords?
OK. Philosophy solves ethics. Go to philosophy first.
Faust13:
Pye what do you plan to do with this education? I myself am also a bit troubled with it.
I've been teaching philosophy courses at two different uni's for around a decade. I do this as an independent adjunct, and hence, no one directs my course content or looks over my shoulder; in fact, no one pays much attention to my course content since I am not part of the academy. When the tenured profs demand their course reductions and go on their sabbaticals, I sub-teach their topics and override their highest student evaluations by whole categories. I figure this is mostly because the students themselves are at stake and I make it so, not the material, grades, credits or academic accolades. It doesn't matter what the course topic is; I direct it in this way. And maybe nobody gets out of one of my classes without taking it on personally, at least whilst they are there. It's not a
subject to me; it's life. And as an aside, between the two uni's, I have to turn down class options every semester. Because I am not in the academy, I always have to work one class short of a full-time load so they will not have to pay me an overtime wage. Right now, I'm doing three classes at the big uni; and all-day saturdays at the little one.
Faust, don't be troubled, if I might be so directive. You can transcend. Somewhere between "university study of philosophy is a waste of time" and "philosophy is the most important thing" is a whole range of proactive measures one can take to direct their own education. But if one wants to be the darling of the academy, you will be assimilated.
Sometimes, I find these sit-back-and-trash comments [I'm not really referring to anyone particular] regarding philosophy classes amusing, as though one is there passively waiting for a great soft nipple to feed them the most important things, and when it doesn't, it is entirely the fault of the course/professor and the whole project is without worth. It does not look any better to me than the wide-eyed taking on wholesale the values of the academy. There is something inbetween. You.
Use it, I say. Use your studies in whatever way greater consciousness of things can be achieved, even if it is to argue your ass all the way through the subject.
I'm not a very good person to ask about career counseling, but I do know that a philosophy degree stills holds the same uncomfortable respect it always has; you will get looked at more than once. Graduated students are often writing back to the department telling of the experiences they have getting jobs with their philosophy degrees on their resumes. They all report the same set of comments from interviewers, that the philosophy student is at least bound to have some intelligence going on and that the degree still holds even impressive weight. At the big uni, they keep a running score of intelligence tests throughout all majors, because the philosophy student almost always measures significantly higher in every area. They even beat the shit out of English majors for linguistic aptitude :)
Faust, I know that in this world we are expected to earn a living, and that university degrees are supposed to usher that process along more gainfully and swimmingly, but what is it that
you want to do with your life? If it is to be one of the educated and gainfully employed, I am quite sure your philosophy degree will not be a waste of time. But if it is to do something
more than that, then I know everything about your being troubled where you are. Still, you have the resolution in your hands. Even mainstream jobs - or even teaching, writing philosophy does not have to be the death-knell to your thinking life; to your "real" life; to You. The world will be more than happy to let you make some money, especially if you make it the most important thing. If the most important thing is something else, then it's up to you to create a path for it.
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Oh, and Trevor, whole departments have different values from university to university. The big uni I'm at has a collective distaste for history-of philosophy, but on the other hand, it's really stupid to put Intro students in a class and expect them to
do philosophy when they've never seen it modeled, don't know what it is, and are doomed to repeat the philosophic movements and mistakes of the past. Once again, that dreaded balance; the harder work of the middle way, as opposed to the easy conclusions on either end.
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Long post, I know, but had to squeeze-in for now. Have much work in the upcoming weeks and days.
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