I'm posting a lot tonight.
I want to take an informal survey, which is ultimately about me, like this blog is.
Has anyone else who has studied philosophy and took it seriously, in particular when they were young and at university, found that it has made them apathetic? Or at least accentuated your tendencies to burn bridges more? I dunno, I just find I seem to care about stuff less than my friends do.
The apathy wasn't sudden, but came in Kuhn like stages, where I questioned the paradigms of conventional wisdom. And when I found that one wasn't necessarily true, more conventional wisdom unraveled. I guess it's because a philosophy course will usually take you through Cartesian skepticism, and when you're young and impressionable, you take this on as mode of thought. You find yourself thinking: "people think X is true of human nature/people's preferences/social convention/etc, but where's the proof for that? No one has provided a good argument for it? Not-X is equally possible, but people just accept X because it is popular opinion, and popular opinion is not good grounds for accepting anything." And since you find both X and not-X equally possible, you find yourself disbelieving both of them.
I guess I'm just explaining the practical manifestation of taking on philosophical skepticism. It's a also a defense mechanism. The less you care, the less you get hurt.
I'm actually at a point of apathy right now where I don't even flinch when the phone rings.
Well, they're my thoughts tonight. In the clarity of the morning light I'll probably recant, but for now...
Has anyone else who has studied philosophy and took it seriously, in particular when they were young and at university, found that it has made them apathetic? Or at least accentuated your tendencies to burn bridges more? I dunno, I just find I seem to care about stuff less than my friends do.
The apathy wasn't sudden, but came in Kuhn like stages, where I questioned the paradigms of conventional wisdom. And when I found that one wasn't necessarily true, more conventional wisdom unraveled. I guess it's because a philosophy course will usually take you through Cartesian skepticism, and when you're young and impressionable, you take this on as mode of thought. You find yourself thinking: "people think X is true of human nature/people's preferences/social convention/etc, but where's the proof for that? No one has provided a good argument for it? Not-X is equally possible, but people just accept X because it is popular opinion, and popular opinion is not good grounds for accepting anything." And since you find both X and not-X equally possible, you find yourself disbelieving both of them.
I guess I'm just explaining the practical manifestation of taking on philosophical skepticism. It's a also a defense mechanism. The less you care, the less you get hurt.
I'm actually at a point of apathy right now where I don't even flinch when the phone rings.
Well, they're my thoughts tonight. In the clarity of the morning light I'll probably recant, but for now...
posted by The Borg at
12:36 AM
11 Comments:
The less you care, the less you get hurt.
Yeah, everyone thinks that. But I don't think you can choose not to care. You just end up fooling yourself.
By
Craig Schwarze, At
7:44 AM
Hmmm, I get that you've been taught to deconstruct everything, which means there's nothing left standing.
Maybe, to use the words of the oldest, wisest Jedi, "you must unlearn what you have learned". Yoda knew what he was talking about. Something about trusting the Force and letting go your conscious self.
Of course, if you become a Jedi, can you build me a lightsaber??
And to answer your question: no, I have not studied philosophy or taken it seriously. I like understanding new concepts. But only if they're useful. I thought many of the topics covered in philosophy were not useful.
By
Angus, At
10:17 AM
i didn't study much philosophy, but I can relate to the sense of apathy. But I think its just my personality, not so much to do with philosophy.
Its hard to make me flinch.
By
Anthony Rochester, At
11:33 AM
I think it's our generation
By
Bron, At
2:43 PM
I think I've come to a similar point but via a different route, insofar as I find it hard to believe anything much (in terms of 'conventional wisdom') when I don't think X could be proved empirically, or I think not-X could just as likely to be proved/disproved, and/or the (empirical) truth is unknowable either way so caring seems kinda pointless.
Uhh that sounds incredibly head-up-my-arse-ish (heh) but when you start looking for results and outcomes rather than just believing people's good intentions, the world becomes a pretty different place, to me at least, and most of everything seems to be quite meaningless, usually because the outcomes are nill. I don't mean that in a depressing way per-se, just more in a wow-i-didn't-expect-that kind of way.
Curse you, scientific method!
By
Anonymous, At
12:16 AM
Depends, I went throught the philosophy thing at uni, and I think I took on a fair bit of the cartesian skepticism and perhaps a little dualism...
However, some of this has been deconstructed (again) through questioning dualism when I wanted to see life more through a Judeo-Christian type lens...
However, on one level I am a bit stoic - whatever happens, etc.
Then on another level - I care too much...
Depends on what is appropriate pragmatically for me, personally.
By
The Librarian, At
2:57 PM
I wanted to make a witty comment, but I couldn't think of one...
Having concluded that nothing is absolutely certain, and even that we're not sure of, there is a kind of freedom to be apathetic or pathetic or something more useful, because you can't be judgemental of others, cos you really can't tell if they're right or wrong.
Isn't there something beyond the tangible that gives meaning?
I attended philosophy lectures, but did not incur financial penalty for my actions.
By
BSJ-rom, At
4:01 PM
Yeah, questioning everything can make you, well, question everything.
I didn't even study philosophy, but the reading I did had much the same effect, and it took me years to put the philosophical fragments back together in a form I was happy with. In a sense, I'm still doing it -- my magnum opus is about putting even more of the philosophical fragments back together.
Then again, if you're a philosopher, you're a philosopher. It might be easier not to be -- but it might also be easier to be, for example, an elephant.
But if you feel apathetic, that may be more than just philosophical angst. Talk to someone about it.
And enjoy Melbourne.
By
Radagast, At
7:33 PM
There is nothing new under the sun, hun. But when Christ returns we'll have new minds, not limited to this irritatingly finite imagination. (Amy J here)
By
magnamummy, At
4:00 PM
I'm not really a dilettante about philosophy anymore. (But you're not really a philosopher until you've lost most of your hair, written creative, tightly reasoned books that nobody reads and have forgotten how to tie your shoelaces.) Anyhow I reckon apathy or otherwise isn't something we have a load of control over, and it isn't related to philosophy all that directly. Also, philosophy didn't cause me to question; I've asked questions compulsively since I was about five, which was when I learned to talk. Philosophy just gave me an excuse for questioning and gave more direction to my questions.
(And now this weird guy who is doing a doctorate in ethics looks over my shoulder and agrees that interest in life is a brute fact, and adds that apathy produces philosophy, because (in his own experience) philosophy is a product of thought, thought of laziness, and laziness of apathy.)
By
iktovian, At
5:06 PM
I agree with Bron it's the (our? can I say that at 30?) generation.
Very odd that this generation is at once cynical and creating its own meaning . . . I think that personally I'd be somewhat depressed or wild if I didn't believe there *is* absolute truth on the things that matter. (And often the other things too, we just don't always know what it is).
My apathy is more specific than yours - I don't trust the media and so have ended up being cynical and apathetic about any news I hear. Although this has some validity it's also immature and irresponsible, and yet hard to do something about, especially when you don't know just what to do.
I'm sorry if this comment is more cerebral than edifying or encouraging. I do think it's something we all need to try to help each other with.
By
fional, At
1:25 AM
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