>On 4/15/98 10:27pm, mthomas@xxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
>> Being a jounior in high school it has come time for me to chose a
>>major when I apply for colleges. I am contemplating a major in
>>philosophy. On which career path would this place me? How useful is a
>>philosophy major?
Many a philosopher has discussed the repercussions
of studying philosophy. J.S. Mill asked why the ignorant
are happy while the thinking are not. He concluded that
people are either born to philosophize or they are not.
William James said "The thinker philosophizes as the lover
loves. Even were the consequences not only useless but
harmful, he must obey his impulse."
If you chose the field of philosophy try to find a good
school and, especially, a good teacher. It is doubtful
that anyone can help you find these resources because
nearly everyone thinks that his education is the best one.
The best statisticians come from the field of psychology,
not mathematics. I suspect that the best philosophers
now come from other fields, such as history.
Alex Trebeck, of Jeopardy, and Steve Martin, the
dork, both were philosophy majors. So...uh....
Luckily, you can always switch majors!
Dave
On his deathbed, German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Hegel
complained, "Only one man ever understood me." He
fell silent for a while before adding, "And he didn't
understand me.
PHILOSOPHY: Life is boring.
LITERATURE: Life is like a twice told tale
vexing the ears of a drowsy man.
An excellent plumber is infinitely more
admirable than an incompetent philosopher.
The society that scorns excellence in
plumbing because plumbing is a humble
activity, and tolerates shoddiness in
philosophy because philosophy is an
exalted activity, will have neither good
plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its
pipes nor its theories will hold water.
- John Gardner
>
>> Being a jounior in high school it has come time for me to chose a
>>major when I apply for colleges. I am contemplating a major in
>>philosophy. On which career path would this place me? How useful is a
>>philosophy major?
Many a philosopher has discussed the repercussions
of studying philosophy. J.S. Mill asked why the ignorant
are happy while the thinking are not. He concluded that
people are either born to philosophize or they are not.
William James said "The thinker philosophizes as the lover
loves. Even were the consequences not only useless but
harmful, he must obey his impulse."
If you chose the field of philosophy try to find a good
school and, especially, a good teacher. It is doubtful
that anyone can help you find these resources because
nearly everyone thinks that his education is the best one.
The best statisticians come from the field of psychology,
not mathematics. I suspect that the best philosophers
now come from other fields, such as history.
Alex Trebeck, of Jeopardy, and Steve Martin, the
dork, both were philosophy majors. So...uh....
Luckily, you can always switch majors!
Dave
On his deathbed, German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Hegel
complained, "Only one man ever understood me." He
fell silent for a while before adding, "And he didn't
understand me.
PHILOSOPHY: Life is boring.
LITERATURE: Life is like a twice told tale
vexing the ears of a drowsy man.
An excellent plumber is infinitely more
admirable than an incompetent philosopher.
The society that scorns excellence in
plumbing because plumbing is a humble
activity, and tolerates shoddiness in
philosophy because philosophy is an
exalted activity, will have neither good
plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its
pipes nor its theories will hold water.
- John Gardner