# Has Anyone?



## Unkotare

This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.


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## Mr. H.

I took one class in college. 35 years ago.


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## Unkotare

Mr. H. said:


> I took one class in college. 35 years ago.




Do you recall which class? Or was it a general 'Intro to -' sort of thing?


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## Dajjal

I did an A level evening class in philosophy a few years ago. I found it a good base of knowledge, but studying old theories that have already been superseded can be confusing. As the course progresses you find what you have been studying initially has subsequently been proved false.

In fact It has been said that modern cosmology has made philosophy obsolete, and all that is left for philosophers to do is analyze language, because they cannot keep up with advances in physics.


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## RetiredGySgt

I took an entry level class in community college. Been 15 years since then. It was a fun class.


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## percysunshine

I am credentialed by life experience.

... and reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'.


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## Unkotare

Dajjal said:


> I did an A level evening class in philosophy a few years ago. I found it a good base of knowledge, but studying old theories that have already been superseded can be confusing. As the course progresses you find what you have been studying initially has subsequently been proved false.
> 
> In fact It has been said that modern cosmology has made philosophy obsolete, and all that is left for philosophers to do is analyze language, because they cannot keep up with advances in physics.




Seems you were not paying attention in class.


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## Dajjal

Unkotare said:


> Dajjal said:
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> 
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> I did an A level evening class in philosophy a few years ago. I found it a good base of knowledge, but studying old theories that have already been superseded can be confusing. As the course progresses you find what you have been studying initially has subsequently been proved false.
> 
> In fact It has been said that modern cosmology has made philosophy obsolete, and all that is left for philosophers to do is analyze language, because they cannot keep up with advances in physics.
> 
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> Seems you were not paying attention in class.
Click to expand...


I stink therefore I am. I think therefore I drink.


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## eflatminor

I've studied economics formally and have an advanced degree in the subject.  I've studied economic history and in particular, libertarian/classical liberalism philosophy extensively and have consumed many, many books on the subject.   I've read a few philosophically based novels (Zen and the Art, Moby Dick, Crime and Punishment, Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, etc).  Among the ancient philosophers, I'm particularly fond of Lao-Tzu.  The only general philosophy book I ever read was A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell.


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## PoliticalChic

Unkotare said:


> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.







Does expertise in 'Murphy's Law' count?


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## Unkotare

PoliticalChic said:


> Unkotare said:
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> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.
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> Does expertise in 'Murphy's Law' count?
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It sure seems to count in the real world!


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## Mr. H.

Unkotare said:


> Mr. H. said:
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> I took one class in college. 35 years ago.
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> Do you recall which class? Or was it a general 'Intro to -' sort of thing?
Click to expand...


Pretty sure it was an Intro class. One of those core requirements of underclassmen. 
I more remember Doc Penn. He was a character. Always running his hand through his hair. He had quite a mop top. I remember on a test comparing a particular philosophical argument to a quote from Popeye. "I am what I am and that's all that I am". He didn't get it. Nor did he appreciate it LOL.


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## Unkotare

Mr. H. said:


> Unkotare said:
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> Mr. H. said:
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> I took one class in college. 35 years ago.
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> Do you recall which class? Or was it a general 'Intro to -' sort of thing?
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> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Pretty sure it was an Intro class. One of those core requirements of underclassmen.
> I more remember Doc Penn. He was a character. Always running his hand through his hair. He had quite a mop top. I remember on a test comparing a particular philosophical argument to a quote from Popeye. "I am what I am and that's all that I am". He didn't get it. Nor did he appreciate it LOL.
Click to expand...




The eccentric ones don't always have the sense of humor you'd think they would.


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## oldfart

Unkotare said:


> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.



One formal class as an undergraduate (I was 17 at the time).  At least it was an honors section.  Lots of Kierkkegard.  A course in formal logic in the speech department, and Boolean algebra in the math department.  Covered the Philosophical Radicals in a British history course.  Have been a voracious reader and bibliophile since eighth grade and largely acquired a traditional liberal education through independent reading.  

And you?


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## Unkotare

oldfart said:


> Unkotare said:
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> 
> 
> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.
> 
> 
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> 
> One formal class as an undergraduate (I was 17 at the time).  At least it was an honors section.  Lots of Kierkkegard.  A course in formal logic in the speech department, and Boolean algebra in the math department.  Covered the Philosophical Radicals in a British history course.  Have been a voracious reader and bibliophile since eighth grade and largely acquired a traditional liberal education through independent reading.
> 
> And you?
Click to expand...




I have a bachelor's degree in Philosophy. Declared as a Pol Sci major, eventually took a few Philosophy electives and liked it. So, in addition to my degree program (and working 3 part-time jobs, training for athletics 6+hrs/day, and of course chasing girls) I took extra courses until, at the end of 4 years, I had enough credits for two full BA degrees.


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## S.J.




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## Unkotare

S.J. said:


>




What bullshit do you feel compelled to post this time?


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## TemplarKormac

Unkotare said:


> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.



Given that I am alone most of the time, I do have the time to ponder it. But no, I haven't studied it formally.


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## RosieS

Religion and philosophy were required at the Catholic University Daddy paid for, so I took 2 philosophy and one religion. And an Ethics, to boot.

My first hubby had a philosophy course from  a professional jazz musician and loved that perspective. I can see see where that would be an  awesome course.

I found religion trite and boring but enjoyed philosophy and found ethics useful in my career as an educator.

Regards from Rosie


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## S.J.

Unkotare said:


> oldfart said:
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> Unkotare said:
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> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.
> 
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> One formal class as an undergraduate (I was 17 at the time).  At least it was an honors section.  Lots of Kierkkegard.  A course in formal logic in the speech department, and Boolean algebra in the math department.  Covered the Philosophical Radicals in a British history course.  Have been a voracious reader and bibliophile since eighth grade and largely acquired a traditional liberal education through independent reading.
> 
> And you?
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> Click to expand...
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> I have a bachelor's degree in Philosophy. Declared as a Pol Sci major, eventually took a few Philosophy electives and liked it. So, in addition to my degree program (and working 3 part-time jobs, training for athletics 6+hrs/day, and of course chasing girls) I took extra courses until, at the end of 4 years, I had enough credits for two full BA degrees.
Click to expand...

Let's see some proof.


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## Samson

TemplarKormac said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> 
> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.
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> Given that I am alone most of the time, I do have the time to ponder it. But no, I haven't studied it formally.
Click to expand...




Internet Porn hasn't done Philisophical Thought any favors.


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## Unkotare

S.J. said:


> Unkotare said:
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> oldfart said:
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> One formal class as an undergraduate (I was 17 at the time).  At least it was an honors section.  Lots of Kierkkegard.  A course in formal logic in the speech department, and Boolean algebra in the math department.  Covered the Philosophical Radicals in a British history course.  Have been a voracious reader and bibliophile since eighth grade and largely acquired a traditional liberal education through independent reading.
> 
> And you?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> I have a bachelor's degree in Philosophy. Declared as a Pol Sci major, eventually took a few Philosophy electives and liked it. So, in addition to my degree program (and working 3 part-time jobs, training for athletics 6+hrs/day, and of course chasing girls) I took extra courses until, at the end of 4 years, I had enough credits for two full BA degrees.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Let's see some proof.
Click to expand...




Ok! I'll take a picture of my diploma and post it online for...for..._you_? Yeah, maybe not. Run along, Junior.


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## editec

Unkotare said:


> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.



I took a course in Existential Philosophy at BU.

It was one of the most difficult courses I ever took.


Husserl's *phenomenology* was the bear that was damned near impossible to fathom.

For example  HERE IS THE SUPPOSED *SIMPLIFIED EXPLANATION* FOR ONE OF HUSSERL'S POSITS






> Husserl rejects representationalist accounts of intentionality, such as the mental image theory, according to which intentional experiences represent intra-mental pictorial representations of objects, where like other pictures such images may exist without there being a depicted object in the actual world. For Husserl, this view leads to a false duplication of objects represented in the veridical case; and it already presupposes what an adequate conception of pictorial representation is yet to accomplish: an explanation of what it is that makes the underlying phantasy content, or phantasm, the [r]epresenting image of something or other (Husserl 1994, p. 347; Husserliana, vol. XXII, pp. 305f). It is precisely an intentional content that does the trick here (as in all cases of intentional consciousness), according to Husserl, in a way to be explained in more detail by his phenomenology of consciousness.



Remember the above is the SIMPLIFED EXPLANATION of his POV

Even his most notable quotes aren't easy to decode:

Edmund Husserl Quotes - BrainyQuote

So what did I walk away with from this GPI-killer course?  (I only got a B+!)

There is no inherent logic to BEING, one must INVENT one's Raison d'être


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## Unkotare

editec said:


> Husserl's *phenomenology* was the bear that was damned near impossible to fathom.




 
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBmFwKH5bVY]I Feel Your Pain - YouTube[/ame]

The German philosophers are great, but not the most engaging of writers.


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## S.J.

Unkotare said:


> S.J. said:
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> Unkotare said:
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> I have a bachelor's degree in Philosophy. Declared as a Pol Sci major, eventually took a few Philosophy electives and liked it. So, in addition to my degree program (and working 3 part-time jobs, training for athletics 6+hrs/day, and of course chasing girls) I took extra courses until, at the end of 4 years, I had enough credits for two full BA degrees.
> 
> 
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> Let's see some proof.
> 
> Click to expand...
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> Ok! I'll take a picture of my diploma and post it online for...for..._you_? Yeah, maybe not. Run along, Junior.
Click to expand...


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## Unkotare

You can't even troll well. Move along, Junior.


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## Derideo_Te

Self studied the great philosophers. Probably like Cicero the most out of all of them. Never had the luxury of time and/or money to spend on formal classes. Also read up on popular psychology on the 1970's. Eric Berne's approach was both insightful and pragmatic which is something I could relate to on a personal level. Ayn Rand is FOS. Sun Tzu makes sense in areas beyond just the military. But out of all of them I guess I would go with Terry Pratchett for the simple reason that he is not a philosopher but his astute observations of our foibles and his wonderful way of placing them into the appropriate context make them unforgettable. 

So, no, I don't take philosophy that seriously!


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## jillian

Unkotare said:


> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.



I took a political philosophy class as part of my major in college. I always felt, even then, that teens were so angst filled as it was that perhaps they should be older before they studied philosophy.  Nietzsche is depressing under the best of circumstances.


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## Foxfyre

Had one intro to philosophy type course.  Have had a lot of poli-sci courses, a lot of philosophical history--how it affected civilization sorts of things--a lot of literature/poetry and their deeper meanings and intent courses--and in the study of eastern and western civilization and development of Christian thought was exposed to a lot of Plato, a lot of the great philosophers, and other concepts that have affected philosophical points of view in the grand schemes of things.  I now write curriculum on that which requires further research and study to do.  I agree that Nietzsche can be depressing and certainly tedious to study.


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## Unkotare

Unkotare said:


> This being the Philosophy Forum I thought it would be fair to ask: how many of y'all have actually studied Philosophy formally? It's an interesting topic to discuss in any case, and no particular credentialing is required to participate in a venue such as this, of course. Just wondering who has, and what their experience of it was like.


.


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## Dajjal

I have my own library and an entire book case of philosophy books. Nearly all of them unread. I have just started reading through them and so far   I have read some of the lighter ones like. ' Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance ' and 'The Tao of physics' Now I have moved on to ' a critique of pure reason 'by Kant.
Frankly I have only got to page two of that and I am stuck. It is too complicated a subject to just read it through like a novel. You need to ponder each sentence.


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## Unkotare

Dajjal said:


> Now I have moved on to ' a critique of pure reason 'by Kant.
> Frankly I have only got to page two of that and I am stuck. It is too complicated a subject to just read it through like a novel. You need to ponder each sentence.




Stick with it, it's worth the effort.


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## Igrok_

No i haven't. And don't regret about it.


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## Unkotare

Igrok_ said:


> No i haven't. And don't regret about it.




Okie dokie


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