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/lit/ - Literature

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17330091 No.17330091 [Reply] [Original]

Isn't it depressing to be an academic who's an specialist of another intellectual/writer/thinker? you're devoting your career and your own genius on the work of someone more talented than you, living in his shadow.

>> No.17330100

>>17330091
I don't know. It's probably more fun than my current job crunching numbers in front of a computer all day.

>> No.17330105

>>17330091
Everyone does that, anon. And it is more about the right time than talent.

>> No.17330108

>>17330105
>And it is more about the right time than talent.
Holy mother of cope

>> No.17330116

>>17330108
Newton and Leibniz invented differential and integral calculus independently and practically at the same time, anon.

>> No.17330121

>>17330108
And Newton himself admitted that he stood in the shoulders of giants. If it weren't for Galileo, a lot of his stuff wouldn't ever happen.

>> No.17330172

>>17330091
they are humble enough to realize that they are brainlets, which puts them above the average retard

>> No.17330173

>>17330091
Weird... are you writing the next classic? Who's to say many people have genius? By definition it seems to be something most cant attain. Who's to say you can't do both? Who's to say living in the shadow of a genius is bad? Most people do it to other people anyways, people devote their entire careers to home depot and live in the shadow of another boss/supervisor. At least devoting your career to a great writer allows you to use your intellect and do something you love, even if it costs tens if not hundreds of thousands to get there.

>> No.17330235

>>17330091
This is why women make such great historians/scholars of great minds: they don't mind being inferior helpmeets. I've read multiple great, helpful historical articles by women on topics philosophical, mathematical and otherwise.

>> No.17330252

>>17330091
>Isn't it depressing to be an academic
You've very little understanding of what an academic is or does anon.

>> No.17330261

>>17330091
As it turns out, smart people are so dumb they need other smart people to explain their thoughts to dumb people. In a way these explicators are smarter than the original author/thinker because the original couldn't express his thoughts in a clear enough way.

>> No.17330270

>>17330261
Teachers, anon. And professors. Você é br, né?

>> No.17330278

>>17330270
Your stupid, express your thoughts in one languaej i cant understand

>> No.17330295

>>17330091
Yes, it is indeed ridiculous. Imagine spending your whole life studying Descartes. How laughable.

Why don't you try to become a new Descartes instead? Sure, you will fail, but at least it might yield one or two interesting results.
There is no problem in studying Descartes for a phd, though. As long as later you move on to other things and do original work.

>> No.17330307

>>17330252
It's not depressing?

>> No.17330340

>>17330307
Academics don't just learn the works of others and then act as a reference for those works, unless they're historians or something. They typically use another thinker's work as a foundation and expound upon them in their own way.
It's like asking Lagrange if he was depressed utilising Newton's classical mechanics.
It's depressing that your view of academia is just people learning what's in a book and stopping there.

>> No.17330372

>>17330091
a lot of academics put out great stuff. im doing a dissertation on tolstoy atm and i recognise a lot of names in the field now, holquist, gustafon, gary saul morson, victor terras etc they're intellectuals in their own right. mad when i read them sometimes i feel so inferior but i guess im just in my early twenties and they've been been researching his work for decades but the top dogs obviously more clever than me

>> No.17330431

>>17330340
>>17330307
As an academic, I can say that it can be pretty depressing, yeah.

>> No.17330452

>>17330307
Academia is depressing. Don't let you tell otherwise.

>> No.17330465

>>17330452
>>17330431
I'm an academic too. As a matter of fact, it's thrilling. Nothing pleases me so much as giving classes to 15 PHD students who will compete with me and my 30 year tenure for jobs they can't get.

>> No.17330480

>>17330431
Well, it's more depressing because you've came to terms with the limitations of your ability and the impact you can have - that's a slightly different matter imo.