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I like some parts of philosophy like Whitehead, Dennett, and Rachels but beyond them I really find most philosophers to be intentionally too murky. So, I'm impr

I like some parts of philosophy like Whitehead, Dennett, and Rachels but beyond them I really find most philosophers to be intentionally too murky. So, I'm impressed when someone dares to slog through philosophy and come up with something of substance from it. But honestly, I think people are better served by majoring in math and only taking a minor in philosophy if they weren't hard set on any given field of study.

bbctol 10y ago
Philosophy's got a lot of different schools, and there are plenty of people who major in it and still stick to the dry and analytic (confusing because it uses way too many numbers and greek letters) and avoid the continental style (confusing because it uses way too many made up words and rambling anecdotes.)
- danielam 10y ago
  Add Derrida and other postmodernists to the list of those practicing "obscurantisme terroriste".
  - norea-armozel 10y ago
    I can barely tolerate Foucault. And I've tried Derrida but I've always wind up giving up since he just makes no sense to me. Then there's Zizek. That's one person I just can't bother to listen to because I don't know what the hell he's on about half the time (I tried reading his essay on transgender politics and wound up giving up after the first paragraph).
    - pmoriarty 10y ago
      It doesn't make sense to you probably because you haven't had enough education in philosophy. The thing is that philosophy rarely happens in a vacuum. Usually philosophers build on and respond to the ideas of other philosophers. So to really understand and see where they're coming from, you have to understand their predecessors and the dialogue which has been going on for thousands of years. To understand the trickier philosophers like Derrida or some other Continentals, you're probably also going to need the help of a talented teacher who understands these philosophers themselves -- someone you're unlikely to find in Analytic philosophy departments where contempt for Continentals reigns. At best, you're going to get a strongly distorted view of Derrida as Analytics see him. That will not do justice to his thought. That said, I'm not a fan of Derrida myself. I much prefer Nietzsche and Heidegger. Foucault's cool too, though, for his attempts to address power, punishment, mental illness and marginalized portions of society -- all subjects that other philosophers ever touch. I should read more of him.

bbctol 10y ago

Philosophy's got a lot of different schools, and there are plenty of people who major in it and still stick to the dry and analytic (confusing because it uses way too many numbers and greek letters) and avoid the continental style (confusing because it uses way too many made up words and rambling anecdotes.)

danielam 10y ago
Add Derrida and other postmodernists to the list of those practicing "obscurantisme terroriste".
- norea-armozel 10y ago
  I can barely tolerate Foucault. And I've tried Derrida but I've always wind up giving up since he just makes no sense to me. Then there's Zizek. That's one person I just can't bother to listen to because I don't know what the hell he's on about half the time (I tried reading his essay on transgender politics and wound up giving up after the first paragraph).
  - pmoriarty 10y ago
    It doesn't make sense to you probably because you haven't had enough education in philosophy. The thing is that philosophy rarely happens in a vacuum. Usually philosophers build on and respond to the ideas of other philosophers. So to really understand and see where they're coming from, you have to understand their predecessors and the dialogue which has been going on for thousands of years. To understand the trickier philosophers like Derrida or some other Continentals, you're probably also going to need the help of a talented teacher who understands these philosophers themselves -- someone you're unlikely to find in Analytic philosophy departments where contempt for Continentals reigns. At best, you're going to get a strongly distorted view of Derrida as Analytics see him. That will not do justice to his thought. That said, I'm not a fan of Derrida myself. I much prefer Nietzsche and Heidegger. Foucault's cool too, though, for his attempts to address power, punishment, mental illness and marginalized portions of society -- all subjects that other philosophers ever touch. I should read more of him.