From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_20,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 111d6b,328622178ec8b832 X-Google-Attributes: gid111d6b,public X-Google-Thread: 111d6b,cf04ca12585a8d55 X-Google-Attributes: gid111d6b,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,8775b19e3c68a5dc X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,cf04ca12585a8d55 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,cf04ca12585a8d55 X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 1094ba,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid1094ba,public X-Google-Thread: 1094ba,cf04ca12585a8d55 X-Google-Attributes: gid1094ba,public X-Google-Thread: 114809,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid114809,public X-Google-Thread: 114809,cf04ca12585a8d55 X-Google-Attributes: gid114809,public X-Google-Thread: 10d15b,328622178ec8b832 X-Google-Attributes: gid10d15b,public X-Google-Thread: 10d15b,cf04ca12585a8d55 X-Google-Attributes: gid10d15b,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,a03ae7f4e53958e1 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,cf04ca12585a8d55 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public From: The Goobers Subject: Re: Philosophers Date: 1998/01/25 Message-ID: <34CB5A90.BB8@erols.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 319119944 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit References: <67et6o$dql@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net> <882757510snz@genesis.demon.co.uk> <67ktrg$ibk@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net> <883319809snz@genesis.demon.co.uk> <68bt2p$d48@lotho.delphi.com> <34a991f0.2379476@news.diac.com> <68dm0i$brv1@news.fiberlink.net> <01bd198f$4050d960$68c8b5cc@dhite.unicomp.net> <34B71B71.1EFDCAD8@ix.netcom.com> <34B8DC0F.BA0554DB@acm.org> <01bd1ebd$8580b9a0$b2684bc2@xzSys> <34BA520B.534F@mail.state.wi.us> <01bd2526$66b70fa0$d6d945cf@juddesk> <34c80bb5.39357256@news.vt.edu> <01bd284c$4b0b4fe0$c0f682c1@xhv46.dial.pipex.com> <34C9F3D0.6B5A@erols.com> <6afc8j$6k2@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: docdwarf@erols.com To: arnold.trembley@worldnet.att.net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Complaints-To: abuse@erols.com X-Trace: winter.news.erols.com 885742279 28111 207.172.131.106 (25 Jan 1998 15:31:19 GMT) Organization: BudNy Organisation Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.misc,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.cobol,comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-01-25T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Arnold Trembley wrote: > > The Goobers wrote: > > > > Mike Whiten wrote: > > > > > > Nick Roberts wrote: > > > >I'm afraid I believe a great many people don't realise that philosophy is > > > >the most 'hard core' field of study there is. As Russell put it, > > > >philosophy is "accurate thinking", which is really exactly what computer > > > >programming is. Give me a bunch of CS PhDs and a philosopher to employ, > > > >and I'd have the philosopher every time. They are the only ones who are > > > >actually taught to _think_ (I really mean this!). > > > > > > Philosophy is what scientists do in their spare time. > > > > 'Scientists'? What are those... oh, wait a minute, I see... you mean > > 'natural philosophers'! > > > > (For the unaware... up until the late 18th century what we now call > > 'scientists' were called 'natural philosophers'. For the aware... muse > > over the difference between 'philos sophos' and 'scire') > > I am not aware, I had to go to my American Heritage dictionary for the > derivation. "Philosophy" from the Greek "Loving Wisdom", "Science" from > the Latin "Scire" which means "to know". Very good! Now, for the kicker, check the derivation of 'mathematics'... but be cautious; the AHD Greek derivation is a bit... incomplete. > > > > > > Actually, this is true for philosophy grads... it's just that they have > > > a lot *more* spare time on their hands... > > > > Hey, the reason I went into coding was because nobody was hiring > > Corporate Philosophers... isn't it obvious? > > > > DD > > Okay, I only have a BS in English (having declined to take a foreign > language after high school French). This always struck me as strange... if one gets a BA in, say, chemistry or mathematics it is not unusual for said one to become a chemist or a mathematician... does a BA in English put you in the running to be an Englishman? My BA is from a very weird little school which required, for graduation, four years of languages... two of Ancient Greek and two of French. (I can now almost-translate the inscriptions on drachmae and can order from a Parisian waiter... if said waiter can wade through my Ancient Greek-accented French) > I took a couple of philosophy > courses in College. They were fun but probably better suited for > criminal lawyers (is there any other kind?). That I cannot agree nor disagree with; I do not know how the courses were taught. Keep in mind the Socratic dictum of 'The unexamined life is not worth living' (and the corollary, 'the unlived life is not worth examining'). I have seen instances where a poorly-taught course can do more damage than remaining ignorant of a subject as it can turn an otherwise-unsullied mind into that of a misologist. A well-taught course, on the other hand, can do very pretty things to one's thinking, both adding to it and re-arranging the structure thereof. > Lots of debate and > argument, but no conclusions as far as I could tell. Marginally more > polite than usenet, sometimes less polite. Just what one would expect from an arrant poopie-head... I would ask, slyly, whether you look for conclusions in something where the process is the telos. DD