/lit/ - Literature

I have become less depressed, more capable of introspection, better adapted to controlling my emotions, and more communicative in my relationships

Philosophy major here.

It has pretty much shaped everything ive been doing since I was sixteen. I could die a talentless hack and still be happy because of how I now perceive.

the only thing it has given me is an appreciation for zizek jokes. but this is enough

>>3759467
OP here, what exactly has changed in how you perceive? Could you be more specific?

>>3759472

tfw you are finally able to understand the deeper implications and come to finally understand Zizek's philosophical system after a year of reading him and listening to his lectures

I am a former philosophy major, now a history major. I switched simply because I came to enjoy history more. But I'm glad I got two years of philosophy education. Most people who talk about the benefits of philosophy will tell you that it gives you greater ability to think critically, to ask good questions and comprehend ideas. This is all true. I believe I have a slight advantage over fellow history majors because I was exposed to the rigour of philosophical argument.

Honestly, my views have not changed all that much as a direct result of philosophy. If anything, since committing to history I have abandoned a lot of my former political views (I was into political and moral philosophy) that I had as a philosophy major. I still enjoy philosophy and apply it to my historical work, but there's something about the empiricism of history that gives me more satisfaction than thought experiments. Plus, philosophy majors (the ones I encountered) tend to have a pretty poor understanding of history, and in the realm of political philosophy this makes for some wacky discussions.

>>3759485
To amend that last point... philosophy actually has changed my worldview, but only insofar as it allows me to study history.

>>3759456
Philosophy PHD.

I'm the son of an engineer and I was brought up pretty much in hardcore scientism.

Philosophy gave me an appreciation of how complex our epistemology is and the variety of forms of human thought. I studied in europe so my formation was heavily historical and the result is that now I understand immediately who is the influence behind a new thought that is presented to me.

Philosophy did not give meaning to my life, or teach me virtue (I agree with the error theory of morality), and has made the majority of people seem incredibly boring and now pretty much I can relate only with people that have studied it.

I like it, I like it a lot and I keep reading an incredible amount of literature. But it did not make my life easier. It's like an opium addiction. It's expensive and after a while you find out that it is all you want to talk about now and that fellow addicts are the only people you can relate to.

If it's your thing go for it. If not, stay far from it.

>>3759490
So... not really at all? If your study of philosophy has only allowed you to view history at a different angle and not change your own personal views outside of that paradigm, you either did not study enough philosophy or did not "get it".

>>3759479
Mainly it has to do with death, value theory/ethics, and skepticism.

I really dont want to go too much into this and turn into a blog, so ill keep it brief. From 16 onwards ive become more skilled in spotting fallacies, bad thinking, or simply gaining a sense for when someone's arugment feels "fishy". Overtime I have gone over with myself and others many specific debates that I have to deal with in everyday life, like buying a product that most likely at one point was made in an unethical manner. Ive become conscious of small things like this and changed my habits to be more "ethical". I think quite a bit about death, and just what it means to me. I used to have nervous breakdowns and panic attacks over it. Now it is very odd. I dont feel anxious about death, and with that life becomes strange. Why go to college? I could be homeless somewhere and be happy, I could die tomorrow and be happy, most likely no matter what I will be happy, so what do? Also, I have become far more emotional, maybe too much. I want to go to a psychiatrist and have them check me out just to see.

Hope this helps, as vague as it is.

Every philosophy major I have ever met has been a huge douche.

I know that's just my point of view but they have all be smug assholes even though they study a pseudoscience.

I now drink more and I've taken up smoking

>>3759504

Thanks for sharing.
I'm curious, do you desire to share your experiences and emotions with another person, specifically in a romantic context?

>>3759544
Again, it is hard to say just exactly what I want. It would have depend on when you asked me.

A lot of the time, yes, I would very much like someone to be with romantically, but they would have to be a certain kind of person.

Other times though, it wouldnt really matter if I was alone or not.

Right now, im pretty fucking drained and if I was with someone I would just want to idly talk to them like I am now with you. I need to sputter. Though later tonight, or maybe tomorrow, I know I will deeply again want someone romantically.

>>3759498
I don't think you understood my post. Philosophy HAS had a great influence on me but indirectly, because I like history more. That is my personal preference, and if that is too narrow a "paradigm" for you, then whatever. My views on politics definitely changed after reading some of the standard stuff (Plato, Kant, Hobbes, Locke, Rawls etc.) but philosophy as an independent pursuit, besides the cogency and improved critical thinking it has given me, has not compared to the excitement I get from investigating and reflecting on history.

I studied plenty of philosophy (I was even invited to speak at a conference) and I still study it, but to illuminate how humans interact across time and space. As such I'm more into the continental tradition now than I used to be. If you think I didn't "get it" because I'm not pretending to claim that philosophy has had an earth-shattering effect on every fibre of my being, then that is bullshit.

>>3759528
my sides

I agree on all points though. I think there's a very obvious reason to it, which is that philosophy is absolutely a platonic, masculine, and Apollonian pursuit. It is the pursuit of objective truth and reason, the absolute enemy of the "negative capability" which I adore so. Reading philosophy has certainly changed my outlook on life, so I can't fault them for it one bit.

I don't think so, but that's based on my failure to philosophy; I find it so hard to study a text and be like "wow, my worlds just been changed"

>>3759596
>masculine
You'd be surprised how many women take philosophy as their major at my university. I think they outnumber men.

>>3759792
Really? That is surprising, though I will say that women in society are from my observation more allowed to pursue "useless" degrees. Just for clarity I meant "masculine" in the sense that sensuality and mystery are "feminine" or Dionysian.

>>3759456
It's both the reason I went full crisis and the reason that I'm now more at peace with existence than most. I used to get tangled up in conceptual matters a lot, but now I'm freed from them to a greater degree than most. If anything it has made me more sagely in the long run.