Philosophy?

Question

I am taking 'English Language' at university but have been informed that you also have to take 2 additional subjects.
I was thinking of taking Philosophy but my uncle (who used to be a lecturer) warned me that it is very complicated and confusing, especially if you are taking it as an additional subject due to not everything being covered.
Advice from those who have studied Philosophy or taught it please!

Answer 1

I took a few philosophy courses when i was in college not by choice really, but because it was the only thing that was open (i needed them as part of a social science credit), and it is complicated, a lot of thinking beyond the box, and a LOT of papers. Im a science person so i dont think beyond the box usually. but i got through it because most people in the class were not philosophy majors, so the standards were low, if you are going to take a course, try a low level course.

Answer 2

Of course it's complicated. But that's part of the point! Truly, it depends on how it is taught, but done right it should teach you a lot about how to think/reason and argue, which is valuable in ANY subject field.

So, in principle, it's a good option. But do take a look at WHO is teaching and what courses are available.

On the first point, I had one very tough philosophy prof in college, and one who was not very tough. I am most thankful for the former!

As for courses, a course in logic is a good idea. It's useful to be able to detect logical fallacies in scholarly and popular [e.g., politcal] arguments.. including in your OWN arguments!

Beyond that, I found that courses that focused on a particular set of questions (Ethics, "Problems in Metaphysics") served me better than the 'history of philosophy' courses... though some familiarity with the latter is certainly desirable. Even here, a good prof can be more important than the specific course taken.

Answer 3

I currently read a lot of philosophy books and found them confusing at first. It really depends what the course structure is like and what books they will have you studying. I found Plato's Replublic very refreshing and easy to follow sine a lot of it comes across as common sense (at least to me). I won't recommend you do it but it is a useful insight into certain subjects such as morality etc etc. Since you are studying english language you should have no trouble following it. Up to you really. Never base a decision on what other people think of a subject, even if they did lecture in it. Your uncle can't have much faith in you if he is putting it down as difficult. I'm thick and i can do it. I'm studying Geography and Computing FFS. lol

Answer 4

Some people seem to be naturally gifted in Philosophy - i.e. they are really good at thinking out of the box, reasoning, arguing, understanding the concepts, without having to spend too much time studying it. It wasn't like that for me when I did it, but I had loads of interest in the subject and spent a lot of time on it, and eventually managed to graduate with a Class 2 (1). I did take Philosophy as a joint major with another subject quite unrelated to Philosophy, so that made it harder for me as I had to do well in both, and yet was not able to do all the modules in each major (unlike students who only major in one subject)...

Before you decide to study Philosophy, its very important to do a bit of reading yourself - read books by Plato, Bertrand Russell, Descartes, etc - you'll probably have to deal with these "big name" philosophers' works from the start, so make sure you actually find what they say interesting, otherwise you might just fall asleep in class... But otherwise, you should be able to do well in Philosophy as long as your writing ability is good, you are able to think and argue your case in a logical manner, and you mustn't be too lazy to go to the library to read up on the recommended texts your lecturer suggests for each topic covered...

Answer 5

I like philosophy but didn't not quite enjoyed the philosophy modules I have taken at university. Perhaps it turned into work once you know you have to sit exams and write essays.

Many departments allow you a 'window shopping' period at the start of the term. Why not sit in a few lectures, get a feel of it (and other modules), and change your module choice later?

Answer 6

I studied Christian Theology and because of this was allocated Humanities as a third subject. I was lost from the offset and found the whole subject was confusing. I suggest you stick to what you know for your third choice.

Answer 7

If you are a science person, you'll enjoy psychology more. If you are a social science major, philosophy won't hurt you aside from the papers.

Answer 8

Take Philosophy. I enjoy all my Philosophy classes. You will learn that the great thinkers were not so great.

Answer 9

most places of employment would view it as an easy option