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Philosophy of science went hard and was hands down the most valuable course in my education. It's very strange that they don't force everyone to take at least s

Philosophy of science went hard and was hands down the most valuable course in my education. It's very strange that they don't force everyone to take at least some philosophy in university. Can you imagine living in a world where the average person not only thought about what they believed, but were also equipped to ask themselves hard questions about the nature of belief itself?

skirmish 3mo ago
Marxist-Leninist Philosophy was a required course for all undergrads in my time studying in USSR. Strangely enough, the professors made it into an overview course on history of philosophy, which was quite enjoyable, with just some mention of Marxism-Leninism in the last lecture.
- scoofy 3mo ago
  Without getting into a big fight, Marxist-Leninist Philosophy is not, like, general philosophy in the conceptual sense. The idea that you need to be familiar with Hegel as a prerequisite means you’re looking at graduate level classes if we’re taking it seriously.
  - deleted 3mo ago
    [deleted]
  - com 3mo ago
    Just to add to your “no big fight” observation: What in some countries is grad studies, is in other places undergrad, and in a personal high point, high school extension studies. In contemporary rich country education systems, it’s not just grade inflation, it’s very low expectations of the student population’s capabilities, in my opinion.
    - doodlesarefun 3mo ago
      >contemporary rich country education systems I'm from such a country and this tracks. I often look to individuals of the past with the same academic credentials as me and it seems they are much better read & educated. And when I was in school, it often felt like my education was diluted to cater to the LCD.
- smcg 3mo ago
  That's very sad. There is much to learn on the subject.
  - snowpid 3mo ago
    no its not and the great example is the Sowjetunion.
arw0n 3mo ago
I had an Ethics professor in uni who would ask his intro classes to raise their hands if they thought they were a morally upright person. On average, much fewer philosophy majors would raise their hands, and they would continue to decrease throughout their studies. Of course, the thought process of "I'm trying my best, but sometimes failing", could push someone in both directions of the answer, but striving to be better only works when honestly acknowledging failures. In my experience, the majority of people tend to construct their moral views conveniently along the lines of their preferred actions, but principles built on convenience usually don't hold up to scrutiny.

skirmish 3mo ago

Marxist-Leninist Philosophy was a required course for all undergrads in my time studying in USSR. Strangely enough, the professors made it into an overview course on history of philosophy, which was quite enjoyable, with just some mention of Marxism-Leninism in the last lecture.

scoofy 3mo ago
Without getting into a big fight, Marxist-Leninist Philosophy is not, like, general philosophy in the conceptual sense. The idea that you need to be familiar with Hegel as a prerequisite means you’re looking at graduate level classes if we’re taking it seriously.
- deleted 3mo ago
  [deleted]
- com 3mo ago
  Just to add to your “no big fight” observation: What in some countries is grad studies, is in other places undergrad, and in a personal high point, high school extension studies. In contemporary rich country education systems, it’s not just grade inflation, it’s very low expectations of the student population’s capabilities, in my opinion.
  - doodlesarefun 3mo ago
    >contemporary rich country education systems I'm from such a country and this tracks. I often look to individuals of the past with the same academic credentials as me and it seems they are much better read & educated. And when I was in school, it often felt like my education was diluted to cater to the LCD.
smcg 3mo ago
That's very sad. There is much to learn on the subject.
- snowpid 3mo ago
  no its not and the great example is the Sowjetunion.

arw0n 3mo ago

I had an Ethics professor in uni who would ask his intro classes to raise their hands if they thought they were a morally upright person. On average, much fewer philosophy majors would raise their hands, and they would continue to decrease throughout their studies. Of course, the thought process of "I'm trying my best, but sometimes failing", could push someone in both directions of the answer, but striving to be better only works when honestly acknowledging failures. In my experience, the majority of people tend to construct their moral views conveniently along the lines of their preferred actions, but principles built on convenience usually don't hold up to scrutiny.