Philosophy

[90+FTW]

Sorry last question I swear.

Would you recommend studying Philosophy at Melbourne? Is it interesting or pointless? I would really love to know!

Cheers

[tonychet2]

interesting / pointless is subjective depends on the person

[Russ]

I did a philosophy subject once and found it both interesting and pointless.
If you've enjoyed that sort of thing in the past, it's probably worthwhile though.

[brenden]

I did a philosophy subject once and found it both interesting and pointless.
If you've enjoyed that sort of thing in the past, it's probably worthwhile though.

Hahahaha, this definitely sums up philosophy*.

I've never done Philosophy at Melbourne but I'm sure they wouldn't be able to ruin such a gorgeous field. I've had a look at the synopsis and outcomes for the second year Phil subjects (my girlfriend was considering them) and they looked pretty similar to Monash subjects (which I love).

It's also a very, very broad question. I mean... "Is Philosophy interesting" is like saying "Out of ten books that you don't know the name of and have never read, which one is the most interesting book?"
The question is just like "ummm". Philosophy is huge and diverse, so it's difficult to answer for all areas at once. For example, kingpomba loves philosophising about the nature of religion and god, but if I remember correctly, he hates metaphysics. Personally, I love metaethics/political theory (which is really the extent of my formal philosophical learnings). Tbh I'm probably going to love any philosophy they give me. So, for you (and for most people), the chances are high that you would find at least some philosophy interesting, and the chances are high that you would find at least some philosophy boring.

As Tony said, though, it's impossible to tell someone whether they'd be interested something. Personally, I find philosophy ridiculously interesting.

The pointless question is also the same thing. Like, I guess what most people mean when they say "what's the point" is "what real world, applicable, tangible benefit am I going to get out of this and where will it get me?"... which I think is a shitty definition. What's the point of learning to play a musical instrument? It's not really going to get you anywhere if you just want to strum a song on a lazy Sunday. What's the point in acting in plays? In fact, the latter could cost you money and a lot of time. It's almost certain to 'get you' nowhere. It just depends on what your goals and interests are. Studying Literature, for me, is most infinitely pointless, and I'm ridiculously eager on never formally studying it again, whereas I'm sure there will be a great "point" in Lollymatron studying Lit. Conversely, Philosophy for me is the infinite opposite of 'pointless' whereas for many people it would be horrible.


Anyway.  I'd always recommend studying Phil for anyone even remotely humanities inclined (or formalised logic - which is philosophy - for anyone inclined toward math). May as well take one subject and see for  yourself if your degree allows you that freedom.

*Only a little bit serious.

[nubs]

Yeah I took a philosophy subject last year in my second semester called 'Philosophy: The Great Thinkers' or something.
I wasn't really a huge fan. The tutorials are great; you just sit around in a circle and argue with each other while the tutor moderates the discussion. The essays can be a bit of a pain though. Usually you'll be given a theory and you need to come up with arguments against it, but then you need to come up with counter-arguments against those arguments which can be pretty annoying, especially when your original arguments are supposed to be almost flawless anyway.

The worst is when you have to defend theories you completely disagree with, which is what I had to do with Descartes.
It was only a first year subject and there's nothing you really learn there that you couldn't easily read online and tbh reading about philosophy and history in your own time - I found - was much more interesting and enjoyable than doing a whole subject on it, simply because you can pick and choose what you want to study.

[Special At Specialist]

I did philosophy in year 12 and found it really interesting, despite my hatred for writing essays. I'll probably do it as a breadth if I get into Bachelor of Science at UoM next year.

And I agree with you about disagreeing with Descartes. His main claim that people give him so much praise for was "I think, therefore I exist", but when you ask him what the definitions of "I" and "exist" are, you will find that he merely used circular reasoning. For example, he defined "I" as "a thinking thing".

[MJRomeo81]

I took a first year philosophy subject and I found it pretty interesting as an elective. Try to find a philosophy subject that focuses on formal logic.

Thinking and reasoning are essential components of human life. A solid introduction to formal logic teaches you to think clearly and independently, and also to engage fairly with others in discussions and debates. In terms of developing more abstract levels of logical reasoning and systematic thinking, it's a great area to study. Since the ability to think and to argue clearly and fairly is central not just to philosophy but to university studies in general, I believe the experience gained can be immensely valuable, both within your further studies and later in employment whatever your subsequent areas of specialization may be.

The tutorials are great; you just sit around in a circle and argue with each other while the tutor moderates the discussion.

Every tute I had in my philosophy class at La Trobe was hilarious. You literally sit in a circle while 5-6 people have a go at each other, and the other 15 students sit back trying not to laugh. You could tell the tutor was getting a kick out of it. Every now and then he would say something outrageous just to stir the pot.

[brenden]

The tutes I've been in have been a lot more civil hahaha