23 April 2011

Philosophy

Part of the requirement for my degree was to take two upper division philosophy classes. So I, of course, picked one from a professor I have taken before (with a similar topic, too!) and one that was at a convenient time. Unfortunately for me, this class was on Aristotle's Metaphysics. I was clearly the most unprepared for this class. All of the graduating seniors have been accepted into at least one grad school, some on scholarship.  One of these students will ask questions I can't even understand, let alone follow the answers the professor gives.  

Now, personally, I find philosophy to be completely bunk. It's absolutely brilliant people talking about things  and ideas, but not about action  or change.  Nothing is actually provable, tangible, or real. They just talk about it, like they're superior to everyone else. I mean, it's the study of knowledge.  Okay.  And Aristotle says the best knowledge is the knowledge obtained for knowledge's sake, not for any useful actual purpose. I just feel like all these answers could be answered by religion or science. 

Now everyone great once in a while in class, I will ask a question or make a comment that my professor finds absolutely brilliant.  I often find them over simplistic. I just feel like everyone is over thinking everything, and it's really not that confusing. Now, either my professor thinks I'm a complete idiot and is completely surprised that I understand, or he thinks I'm a complete genius by being able to answer the questions or address the problems of soon to be grad students. But I have to be completely honest.  I am really good at regurgitating information.  If my professor has said something to be 'the truth,' I will remember it. And then regurgitate it in class. I don't understand why it's true, or what it means.  I just know that it's the truth because my professor has said so. That, or I simplify it down much further than my classmates.  

And that, my friends, is how Philosophy works. 

1 comment:

Natty R.. said...

I am your biggest fan.