tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post3150609925391309775..comments2023-06-30T05:50:33.242-07:00Comments on philosiology: Living with Your Philosopher: Incessant Questioningkatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06917172986615727671noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-2435716502096995732013-04-10T16:02:26.017-07:002013-04-10T16:02:26.017-07:00I only recently found your blog. my boyfriend seem...I only recently found your blog. my boyfriend seem tormented and overwhelmed by his own questions. it's very hard for me (a non-philosopher) to understand why he can't just accept that there are no answers to life's great questions, just be satisfied and happy! I do feel helpless at times. It is nice to know there are other people out there that get this.Hopefully I can figure out how to deal with it and he can find some sort of peace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-7550329638771935272011-04-25T06:31:35.722-07:002011-04-25T06:31:35.722-07:00Lol. Great post. You very aptly describe the way p...Lol. Great post. You very aptly describe the way philosophers act. Yet, it's a sight to see them question one with such zeal! :PSalman Latifhttp://salmanlatif.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-27309029077753744112011-04-24T18:20:12.477-07:002011-04-24T18:20:12.477-07:00This is very true! This honestly one of the most u...This is very true! This honestly one of the most useful and astute things I've ever read about philosophers.Komalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-34946602239544181582011-04-20T04:40:09.843-07:002011-04-20T04:40:09.843-07:00I tried to post this before but couldn't. Here...I tried to post this before but couldn't. Here goes again. I am a philosopher myself, but I have to say that I hope due to some proper sense of etiquette, I do not pursue my husband's offhand comments. Thank god for him. But I have dated philosophers myself. This is not recommended, since it leads to the following kinds of fights:<br /><br />Me: So where do you see this going? Do you want a committed relationship or what?<br /><br />Him: Well, that depends, do you mean that I should stay with you even if you become some monstrous bitch, or that if you are indefinitely committed to an insane asylum that I should never date anyone else?<br /><br />Me: That's not the right way to think about the question! That's not what I meant! So you don't want a committed relationship then?<br /><br />Him: Well, not if that's what it means to be committed. <br /><br />Me: Incoherent swearing. <br /><br />Him: Well, it could happen!<br /><br />Me: Those aren't the right counter-factual scenarios to consider in answering the damned question! That you would even think about those scenarios just proves you don't love me!<br /><br />Him: Well, which are?<br /><br />Me: Well at least those that are closer to the actual fucking world than that!<br /><br />Him: Well, how do I know which are the closest? <br /><br />Me: More incoherent swearing. <br /><br />Him: OK OK. I'll try to figure that out and get back to you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-19380318396851721302011-04-19T20:17:32.835-07:002011-04-19T20:17:32.835-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Logica1https://www.blogger.com/profile/12428758070950331976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-3472052880043068722011-04-19T08:50:33.509-07:002011-04-19T08:50:33.509-07:00I know I get very frustrated when I talk to "...I know I get very frustrated when I talk to "folk" about philosophy if it's something I'm thinking about/researching. For any spouses or friends out there, just know this is more the state of philosophy then it is you. If one spends hours thinking about a paradox, it's bound to get on your nerves. <br />Sometimes I just want to get someone as frustrated with the problem as I am. Obviously this is not a healthy way to deal with frustration, but I have seen many philosophers bring up their own work at parties just to get everyone listening frustrated with the problem as well.<br />I don't think this is a sadistic tendency with philosophers. It does seem that because many are so passionate about their own personal section of philosophy, they want others to see the 'serious' problems with which they are grappling. <br />I'm sad to report that almost all the situations I have seen like this ended in some sort of nihilism.<br />When I interrogate your belief systems with reference to my section of philosophy, it's like using a crowbar to open your mind rather than leading them by the hand. This doesn't lead to any revelations, but makes the philosopher feel like he is not alone in his (lack of) understanding of the world. Sorry on behalf of all of us.<br /><br />I recently finished all your blog posts. I have recommended every single one so far to the readers of my blog. here:http://philosorapters.blogspot.com/<br /><br />Thanks again for all your great humor, I look forward to seeing more quality work come out of this blog.PhilosoraptErshttp://philosorapters.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-13974376388471639912011-04-19T08:25:36.351-07:002011-04-19T08:25:36.351-07:00Hubby, who is a philosopher, just forwarded a link...Hubby, who is a philosopher, just forwarded a link to your blog. I love it! I'm going to spend some time going through the older posts. I have some slight inclination towards philosophy, and its good for me to also understand that I do this, too.<br /><br />Thank you for your insight!<br />RachaelMama Rachaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03534245701379707268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-57521072995126964062011-04-18T21:21:41.335-07:002011-04-18T21:21:41.335-07:00Anon 8:29,
Anon 22:34 here. I don't think th...Anon 8:29, <br /><br />Anon 22:34 here. I don't think that there is any interpretation of 'should' under which it is true that '[I] *should* see [your] fountain pen collection' (emphasis mine). <br /><br />(Before someone takes this seriously--I'm just joking here :-)).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-10239267706889243162011-04-18T19:12:58.047-07:002011-04-18T19:12:58.047-07:00Anon 13:09 re Zoe: NAILED ITAnon 13:09 re Zoe: NAILED ITHeckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16853554291894034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-58633110638722368832011-04-18T15:00:43.030-07:002011-04-18T15:00:43.030-07:00@Katie: This is a terrific post! I'm sending ...@Katie: This is a terrific post! I'm sending it to my partner, whom I routinely accident annoy with questions. <br /><br />@Joana: I do that to my partner as well. And, I must admit I'm fully aware that I do this but I just can't help myself. I think it's some sort of compulsive disorder that philosophers all have. Indeed, I don't know why any non-philosophers marry/date us. You folks really should organize a support group or something; like an Al-Anon for partners of philosophers - sort of a Phil-Anon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-62843452117123719992011-04-18T13:59:06.741-07:002011-04-18T13:59:06.741-07:00Anonymous 12:46, I think this is deserving of a bl...Anonymous 12:46, I think this is deserving of a blog post, as philosophers really do have super-hard jobs. They do look easy-peasy to us non-philosophers, but I think that philosophers (and other academics) are under a much larger weight of stress than us.katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06917172986615727671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-69664145404860474592011-04-18T13:27:30.249-07:002011-04-18T13:27:30.249-07:00My (analytic) philosopher’s engagement style isn’t...My (analytic) philosopher’s engagement style isn’t limited to incessant questioning. There’s also a fair bit of “Impressive-exercise-in-common-folk-rhetoric-my-love-but-allow-me-to-restructure-this-conversation-and-adopt-a-propositional-format-to-throw-you-off-your-game” permeating our interactions. At that point, each sentence is carefully scrutinised for its logical properties and I note a truly gleeful expression from my interlocutor at the many fallacies plaguing my argument – even if it still makes perfect sense to any non-philosopher. <br />We don’t have a safe word or sentence. I’ve long opted for a long sigh, a smile, and a kiss on his forehead.Joananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-50493549432046669942011-04-18T13:09:46.595-07:002011-04-18T13:09:46.595-07:00Does anyone else think that Zoe perfectly demonstr...Does anyone else think that Zoe perfectly demonstrates the lack of social awareness and overly rigorous treatment of lighthearted statements common in philosophers that this blog so hilariously depicts?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-36725250626315202422011-04-18T12:46:33.903-07:002011-04-18T12:46:33.903-07:00This blog is great!!
I was wondering about someth...This blog is great!!<br /><br />I was wondering about something: there's something on Facebook being posted lately about how easy most academic jobs are. Some of my philosopher friends are complaining about it, saying they work "so hard" as a philosophy teacher, BLAH BLAH BLAH.<br /><br />My question is this: if you are someone who observes philosophy teachers (say because your spouse, lover, whatever is one..), does it seem like their jobs are pretty darn easy, compared to the jobs that most of us have??<br /><br />I ask because I am one and my job seems pretty darn easy, compared to almost everyone else's job!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-17519948954599743882011-04-18T10:16:23.619-07:002011-04-18T10:16:23.619-07:00Nicely summed up. I'm married to a philosopher...Nicely summed up. I'm married to a philosopher and... It's a good thing he's cute. :)Jessi Kemphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12122541651798289133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-128619834242761112011-04-18T09:57:58.710-07:002011-04-18T09:57:58.710-07:00Hahaha Great blog. Funny concept!
www.philosophic...Hahaha Great blog. Funny concept!<br /><br />www.philosophicalmuse.comhomegirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07331329191048242824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-28281603735916720922011-04-18T09:05:12.990-07:002011-04-18T09:05:12.990-07:00This is fantastic! I have forwarded this to severa...This is fantastic! I have forwarded this to several family members, and the guy who I just started dating. I recently caused some aggravation with him by tearing into his field with the “So what you’re saying is . . .” and “What you’re committing yourself to when you say that is . . .”, whereas he just thought he was entering into an innocent discussion about environmental science. Not good date etiquette AT ALL!<br /><br />We cleared it up afterwards, and I explained that I don't mean to be aggressive, it's just a habit I slip into sometimes. What I like about your spin though is that letting loose like that actually indicated that I was becoming comfortable with him, and enjoying the conversation! <br /><br />While I don't agree with the overly negative response that Zoe gave, I do think we philosophers need to remember though that to an outside observer, standard philosophy discussion *is* often deemed aggressive and confrontational. It's just a basic self-awareness issue to realise that when we're not in philosophy world, we'd do well to modify our behaviour. I mean, if an epidemiologist went round parties only ever talking about alcohol and disease, that would be considered fairly socially inept (despite being a valid point!). Same principle applies I think..<br /><br />Anyway, I look forward to reading more!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-43738402865157441212011-04-18T09:04:36.583-07:002011-04-18T09:04:36.583-07:00It's important to note that you can't _alw...It's important to note that you can't _always_ use your safe sentence. If your philosopher likes you and thinks you're smart, she or he will really want to incessantly question you; most philosophers recognize that our intuitions have been broken by reading papers telling us what everyone's intuitions are, and it really is helpful and enjoyable to hear what non-philosophers have to say about philosophical topics. <br /><br />It's nice to have a safe sentence, but you should recognize that repeatedly using it will serve the same purpose as snapping at your philosopher--it will shut your philosopher down.chrononoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-42989836939548260812011-04-18T08:29:26.594-07:002011-04-18T08:29:26.594-07:00Anon 22:34: you're wrong! Philosophers, even o...Anon 22:34: you're wrong! Philosophers, even of the most hard-headed analytic kind, love PENS! You should see my fountain pen collection.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-21396211217557057062011-04-18T06:46:03.681-07:002011-04-18T06:46:03.681-07:00Zoe, I am sorry you are getting this impression fr...Zoe, I am sorry you are getting this impression from my blog, but actually my philosopher is very sensitive and kind. I started this blog because philosophers just approach things differently than non-philosophers, which I've seen create a lot of heartache and hurt for them, without anyone really understanding what happened. If you know that philosophers generally ask incessant questions about things, then you know how to tell them kindly that there are times when you don't feel like playing along. It's just part of their lifestyle.<br /><br />Honestly, I would be extremely bored with being married to a "normal," non-philosopher. Philosophers are excited about ideas and theories and books. This makes them worth living with.katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06917172986615727671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-57517572434504077372011-04-18T05:17:50.691-07:002011-04-18T05:17:50.691-07:00This is a great service! I recently posted simila...This is a great service! I recently posted similar advice on my blog which is aimed more at business people: http://ellensworkblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-you-get-when-you-hire-philosopher.htmlEllen Watsonhttp://www.ellenwatson.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-72454963037950527682011-04-18T02:17:19.015-07:002011-04-18T02:17:19.015-07:00This is a really insightful blog. I've recomme...This is a really insightful blog. I've recommended it to the person living with me. <br /><br />-PhilosopherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-83386523645392562592011-04-18T00:48:14.053-07:002011-04-18T00:48:14.053-07:00From what I've read of this blog, your philoso...From what I've read of this blog, your philosopher is ungrateful, oversensitive, and difficult. While it's true that philosophers (particularly the male ones) can be socially inept and inconsiderate, by blogging about their bad manners and offensive behaviour as if they were cute quirky foibles that go with the job, you're just encouraging it. <br /><br />If your partner behaves like a pain in the ass, it's not because he's a philosopher: it's because his girlfriend puts up with it.Zoehttp://sites.google.com/site/zdrayson/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-69607010574684691752011-04-17T22:34:28.789-07:002011-04-17T22:34:28.789-07:00hi katie,
Thanks for the blog. It's funny and...hi katie,<br /><br />Thanks for the blog. It's funny and very sweet (it's moving to see how much understanding you have for your philosopher's condition). But, really, you should know (and let your philosopher know) that real philosophers don't use pens. They write even their grocery list in LaTeX.<br /><br />PS your philosopher will be very proud of you for making it on Leiter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6014309183503962416.post-26638577868165080962011-04-17T20:42:58.594-07:002011-04-17T20:42:58.594-07:00What a humorous look at philosophy! I truly enjoye...What a humorous look at philosophy! I truly enjoyed every post and though I don't get into too many of these talks with my philosopher brother, maybe now I'll try more! I've tried getting him to explain to me what he's studying like he would to my 6 year old daughter... then I had him try again like he would to my 2 year old. I got a little more of what he was talking to then, although I'm sure now that my 2 year old has no idea what Uncle Joe is saying to him most of the time! Thanks for your brilliantly humorous writing!Dena & Derekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13595677385549064872noreply@blogger.com