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Early in college I got the sense from some professors (likely English professors) that I, a student, couldn't be trusted to just state something in a paper. Ins
by bthallplz 5y ago
Early in college I got the sense from some professors (likely English professors) that I, a student, couldn't be trusted to just state something in a paper. Instead, I was supposed to find an instance of someone else writing that same idea somewhere and quote and cite them.
I was pretty relieved when I got to Philosophy, where no one gave a damn about anything but the argument.
- eurasiantiger 5y agoThey were teaching you a scientific writing mindset. Philosophy is different in this regard, as it is the science of rational thought.
- mannykannot 5y agoI can sort-of see how that might come about, if the purpose of the philosophy class was to practice making arguments, using philosophy merely as providing something to argue about, but one thing I have learned about it (and most other things, for that matter) is that if you don't find out if your idea has been floated before (spoiler: it has, at least if it has any merit), and, most importantly, what responses have already been made, the class will spend all its time splashing around in the well-stirred shallows. At first, it seems odd to me that your English professors acted in the manner you describe, but I guess most of them have chosen to ride the criticism wagon, rather than the creative one.