I've been interested in philosophy since I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance about a hundred years ago. Since then I have read dozens of books on philosophy from histories like Russell's and Durant's to ancient philosophers in the original like Plato and Lucretius and modern's like Dennett and Singer. I felt like it was time to learn some philosophy for real, so I signed up for a philosophy degree with The Open University, thinking it would be a good hobby to have when I retire. Maybe I'll go on to a PhD.
I still love philosophy. I like reading the books and I love writing the essays, but I'm struggling to see the point in philosophy now. There seems to be about one important paper every ten years but the rest of it seems about as important as a game of Sudoku. Reading a paper is still interesting, but it's as interesting as talking about the Experience Machine down the pub with a few friends. I can get really into a subject for about a week if I have an essay to write, but I can't imagine all those philosophers writing paper after 20-page paper in a journal about why Nozick was wrong. Day after day. Year after year.
So now I don't know what to do. Should I go on to do that PhD? Or should I go back to sitting in my armchair and reading Plato?
I've been interested in philosophy since I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance about a hundred years ago. Since then I have read dozens of books on philosophy from histories like Russell's and Durant's to ancient philosophers in the original like Plato and Lucretius and modern's like Dennett and Singer. I felt like it was time to learn some philosophy for real, so I signed up for a philosophy degree with The Open University, thinking it would be a good hobby to have when I retire. Maybe I'll go on to a PhD.
I still love philosophy. I like reading the books and I love writing the essays, but I'm struggling to see the point in philosophy now. There seems to be about one important paper every ten years but the rest of it seems about as important as a game of Sudoku. Reading a paper is still interesting, but it's as interesting as talking about the Experience Machine down the pub with a few friends. I can get really into a subject for about a week if I have an essay to write, but I can't imagine all those philosophers writing paper after 20-page paper in a journal about why Nozick was wrong. Day after day. Year after year.
So now I don't know what to do. Should I go on to do that PhD? Or should I go back to sitting in my armchair and reading Plato?
Check-out Barrett Culmback’s Substack! Philosophical/Spiritual ideas, often humorously presented!