what would be an actually good reason to believe in a god.

[Admissioninf]

Nice discussion. Hope we get some more views.

[mod]Nope![/mod]

[Cavebear]

Nice discussion. Hope we get some more views.

[mod]Nope![/mod]

I read the "About" section in the last link.  It is so poorly written that I suspect it is some amateur attempt at providing an academic support for fake views and/or degrees.  Anyone connected with or pushing those links is suspect...

[Blackleaf]

I studied philosophy in college briefly.  None of them made much sense to me as they seemed to be dedicated to the idea that facts were not very important and that all questions could be answered by merely "thinking" about things. 

That is where the Greek mystics (Plato et al) went wrong and it persists (sadly) to this day.

I enjoyed philosophy a lot and found it easy to absorb the information. I even passed a test once and made over 100% points (with the bonus questions for extra credit), and I didn't even study for it. But I decided to pursue psychology over philosophy because, as you said, philosophy isn't very practical. It's fun to think about stuff, and it's beneficial to learn to avoid the use of logical fallacies, but no philosopher is ever going to make a ground-breaking discovery just by employing logic. Logic can only get you so far before you have to go out and find new information.

[SGOS]

I even passed a test once and made over 100% points.

This is likely to happen in philosophy.  Math?  Not so much.  I knew a guy who got paid for working 25 hours one day.  He was working for the government.

[Cavebear]

I enjoyed philosophy a lot and found it easy to absorb the information. I even passed a test once and made over 100% points (with the bonus questions for extra credit), and I didn't even study for it. But I decided to pursue psychology over philosophy because, as you said, philosophy isn't very practical. It's fun to think about stuff, and it's beneficial to learn to avoid the use of logical fallacies, but no philosopher is ever going to make a ground-breaking discovery just by employing logic. Logic can only get you so far before you have to go out and find new information.

I don't know.  Aristotle and Plato did pretty well in history doing just that.  Maybe you could have been added to the list.  On the other hand, they ruined science for 2,000 years...  ;)

[Baruch]

I don't know.  Aristotle and Plato did pretty well in history doing just that.  Maybe you could have been added to the list.  On the other hand, they ruined science for 2,000 years...  ;)

Aristotle was only good at ... logic and biology.  He helped invent both.  But Galen had to correct some of his biology errors.  Aristotle believed that the brain of animals was a kind of heat radiator.  Think of the nose as a radiator cap that lets out excess when pressured to do so ;-)  Galen was the first doctor to realize that the brain was part of a nervous system, and what the nervous system was doing (sensory input, processing, motor control).

[SGOS]

I actually paid a visit to a philosophy professor in his office to tell him that while I enjoyed the class very much, I didn't see much practical use for philosophy as a whole.  He replied that some science labs actually hired philosophers to walk around and make observations.  We didn't go into the practicality of that, so I'm not entirely sure what he was getting at.

Then he asked me about my interests, and I said something along the lines of not accepting information that couldn't be verified or observed.  He told me that was also a philosophy and identified me as a logical pragmatist.  For some reason, that gave me a sense of pride, and I left his office with us being on good terms.  To his credit, a lot of professors would have taken offense.  He did not.

[SGOS]

Aristotle was only good at ... logic and biology.  He helped invent both.  But Galen had to correct some of his biology errors.  Aristotle believed that the brain of animals was a kind of heat radiator.  Think of the nose as a radiator cap that lets out excess when pressured to do so ;-)  Galen was the first doctor to realize that the brain was part of a nervous system, and what the nervous system was doing (sensory input, processing, motor control).

It's been many years, but wasn't it Galen that set Aristotle straight (posthumous, of course) that blood didn't just slosh around in the body, but was actually pumped through the veins?

[Cavebear]

There are probably a lot worse things to be called than a "logical pragmatist.  If fact, I can't actually think of one.

In fact, here's your hat...

[Baruch]

It's been many years, but wasn't it Galen that set Aristotle straight (posthumous, of course) that blood didn't just slosh around in the body, but was actually pumped through the veins?

I think that was William Harvey, in the 1600s.  It was hard to prove blood circulation because of the smallness of the capillaries.  That had to await the invention of the microscope.

[SGOS]

I think that was William Harvey, in the 1600s.

My mistake.  I even wrote a research paper about Harvey vs. Galen, but I couldn't remember Harvey and got Harvey/Galen confused with Galen/Aristotle.

[Cavebear]

My mistake.  I even wrote a research paper about Harvey vs. Galen, but I couldn't remember Harvey and got Harvey/Galen confused with Galen/Aristotle.

Well, enough citations and obscure references to medieval French poetry and no one is going to challenge you.  I majored in Political Science.  I swear, I could have conducted a case study comparing the 1924 Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson Pennsylvania primary campaigns an gotten an A+ with enough cites!

And did you have to look that up to check?  LOL!

[SGOS]

And did you have to look that up to check?  LOL!

No.  I wasn't sure it was Galen/Aristotle when I made the earlier post, so I'm taking Baruch's word at face value without bothering to check. 

I got a C on that fucking term paper anyway, the lowest grade I ever got on any term paper, and while that C clobbered my ego severely, in retrospect I think I can explain it.  The science class I wrote that for was just some introductory class I took on a lark my senior year.  My freshman an sophomore years were heavily loaded with science, so I actually do know how to write a paper for science, while my junior year was heavily loaded with philosophy and humanities where I had shifted my writing towards the philosophical musings and accompanying bullshit of the ethereal and got As on everything I turned in.  I carried that into that introductory science paper that senior year and got the shit kicked out of me, and for justifiably good reason.  But I just sucked it up and brooded about it until time passed.  It remains an ugly blot as just one of the many supid mistakes I've made in my life.

[Cavebear]

No.  I wasn't sure it was Galen/Aristotle when I made the earlier post, so I'm taking Baruch's word at face value without bothering to check. 

I got a C on that fucking term paper anyway, the lowest grade I ever got on any term paper, and while that C clobbered my ego severely, in retrospect I think I can explain it.  The science class I wrote that for was just some introductory class I took on a lark my senior year.  My freshman an sophomore years were heavily loaded with science, so I actually do know how to write a paper for science, while my junior year was heavily loaded with philosophy and humanities, where I had shifted my writing towards the philosophical musings and accompanying bullshit of the ethereal and got As on everything I turned in.  I carried that into that introductory science paper that senior year and got the shit kicked out of me, and for justifiably good reason.  But I just sucked it up and brooded about it until time passed.  It remains an ugly blot as just one of the many supid mistakes I've made in my life.

It is the stupid mistakes you remember best.  I won't list all of mine, but let's just say that returning to college after flunking out 20 years before in 1973 was an enlightening experience.  I don't know if college students got dumber or I got smarter, but I re-entered college in 1993 and took only senior and grad level seminars and blew the other students out of the room until I graduated.  And the other students were specializing in the subjects. 

I knew it was going to be easy when the first assignment was to write about the Vietnam war from the Viet POV and the only word from the Professor was "Brilliant".  Every professor asked me to be a grad assistant until I pointed out that I had a career and was earning more than they were. Oddly, they never liked that.  LOL!  It was just for my own satisfaction to have the diploma.

That isn't braggadocio, I worked hard at it.  Like I SHOULD have the first time around.  And I used up all my office vacation time for 3 years attending classes and doing research.  Some mistakes you can correct.

You aren't likely to learn about the others...  ;)

[Mike Cl]

It is the stupid mistakes you remember best.  I won't list all of mine, but let's just say that returning to college after flunking out 20 years before in 1973 was an enlightening experience.  I don't know if college students got dumber or I got smarter, but I re-entered college in 1993 and took only senior and grad level seminars and blew the other students out of the room until I graduated.  And the other students were specializing in the subjects. 

I knew it was going to be easy when the first assignment was to write about the Vietnam war from the Viet POV and the only word from the Professor was "Brilliant".  Every professor asked me to be a grad assistant until I pointed out that I had a career and was earning more than they were. Oddly, they never liked that.  LOL!  It was just for my own satisfaction to have the diploma.

That isn't braggadocio, I worked hard at it.  Like I SHOULD have the first time around.  And I used up all my office vacation time for 3 years attending classes and doing research.  Some mistakes you can correct.

You aren't likely to learn about the others...  ;)

I had a sorta type experience; I say 'sorta' because it is not exactly the same.  Anyway, I graduated from college with a BA in history and a C+ average.  Two weeks later I was drafted.  After 3 yrs. in the Army, came back to the same college and resumed my teacher credentialing program.  I found college much easier and had nothing less than an A in every class and for every assignment.  I surmise that prior to the Army (which did enforce some 'growup'  in me) I was not really ready for college and struggled my way thru.  After the Army I was ready and ready to learn and have an easy time of academics since.