There was some relief in hearing people from way before my time putting words into jumbled thoughts that I had. Made me feel a little less alone. But it is also depressing how many people would actively shun it, thinking it is a complete waste of time (especially from my STEM classmates). Philosophy is also the first time my mind is actively challenged and engaged in school. I’m fortunate to have a very good teacher and I leave his class with my mind blown every time. And of course the existential dread.
My reaction when I first got philosophy classes in highschool = yaaaaay.
My reaction when we found out we would only study the history of philosophy, but never engage in our own = fuuuuuu
I was going to say “in my experience philosophy is one of those subjects where the passion/enthusiasm of the teacher/professor makes or breaks the class experience”.
Then I realized I’ve never had someone who didn’t deeply love philosophy try to teach it to me. And like you I’ve had incredible experiences with it, life changing for sure.
I took a philosophy of science class as an undergrad that was really good, and attracted folks from a wide variety of STEM majors (tho the philosophy prof didn’t really know enough science for some of the discussions he was leading and managed to logically disprove his own platforms several times…)
It got me into stuff like metaphysics, which was both freeing and terrifying. Especially for someone who is into neuroscience…
Neuroscience and metaphysics is definitely a combo…
When I was in undergrad our school had a ecology-philosophy ethics committee and I’ve taken classes with all the profs involved as a zoology major. Philosophy of Biology was definitely one of my favourite class I’ve taken. The way everything clicks together neatly and adding to each other is so satisfying.
There was some relief in hearing people from way before my time putting words into jumbled thoughts that I had. Made me feel a little less alone. But it is also depressing how many people would actively shun it, thinking it is a complete waste of time (especially from my STEM classmates). Philosophy is also the first time my mind is actively challenged and engaged in school. I’m fortunate to have a very good teacher and I leave his class with my mind blown every time. And of course the existential dread.
All in all 10/10 life changing
My reaction when I first got philosophy classes in highschool = yaaaaay. My reaction when we found out we would only study the history of philosophy, but never engage in our own = fuuuuuu
I was going to say “in my experience philosophy is one of those subjects where the passion/enthusiasm of the teacher/professor makes or breaks the class experience”.
Then I realized I’ve never had someone who didn’t deeply love philosophy try to teach it to me. And like you I’ve had incredible experiences with it, life changing for sure.
I took a philosophy of science class as an undergrad that was really good, and attracted folks from a wide variety of STEM majors (tho the philosophy prof didn’t really know enough science for some of the discussions he was leading and managed to logically disprove his own platforms several times…)
It got me into stuff like metaphysics, which was both freeing and terrifying. Especially for someone who is into neuroscience…
Neuroscience and metaphysics is definitely a combo…
When I was in undergrad our school had a ecology-philosophy ethics committee and I’ve taken classes with all the profs involved as a zoology major. Philosophy of Biology was definitely one of my favourite class I’ve taken. The way everything clicks together neatly and adding to each other is so satisfying.