I am a philosophy student. I am currently deciding whether continuing into a PhD or not. According to my professors, I am very good at this and should continue, but I don't really feel motivated. I like reading books for the sake of what they teach me. I feel that academic research is mainly a form of masturbation made by university for university. I have always felt that books were somehow useful in teaching me how to live. The time I spend on doing academic research, exploring every minutiae of a book, seems to me not to be worth the results. I believe books are not made to be experienced in this way, especially novels. I feel that reading, as a form of experience, should not become as totalizing as it becomes in academic life at high levels. There are books and there is life: books are supposed to be related to life and to produce something in life by modifying the way you see the world. When you are working nine hours a day on your research, reading literature that in most of the cases is not worth your time, you are missing on life. You do not spend nine hours reading a masterpiece: you spend most of the time reading opinions on masterpieces. Could you not spend your time better by reading other masterpieces? Or living?
I feel that academic life would separate me more and more from actual life. Faculties of the humanities are somehow "segregated", separated from most field of study. They revolve around themselves.
This is just my opinion. Do you think that academic life is good? Would you take PhDs? Do you think humanities, as they are studied in universities, mainly revolve around themselves?
Amazing that you got through undergrad Phil with such a Nietzschean opinion. Wasn't it 99% will-to-systems?
Anyway, thanks for convincing me to remain as interdisciplinary as I can.
Jaxson Harris
It doesn't seem like you want to so why would you? If you want to get paid to read go to grad school, if you want to get paid to write, be a writer. If you want to get paid, go to industry.
Zachary Young
Why do people lie on the internet
No prof would tell you to pursue grad studies if you didn't like researching. I bet you're some freshman so up his own ass that you think you deserve to be in academia without doing academic work just because you're smart. Do you even talk to your profs, little dog?
Literally what the fuck is the point of this thread, what the fuck
Owen Hall
Go kill yourself. I go to Princeton.
Benjamin Martin
Not OP but how would his prof know if he likes research or not? All the prof would know is that his work thus far is good. That doesn't necessarily entail full motivation.
Carter Parker
Oooooo big man, bragging about his institution to a stranger on the internet. I'm so humbled rn In the scenario OP has created, presumably they would have actually talked about a career in academia, rather than a prof off handedly saying "lol I think you should also be a prof xDDD"
This is foolish
Luis Bennett
Exactly, which is why I am asking Veeky Forums. I'm a senior at Princeton.
Brody Rivera
I'm a woman, not a man. Please do not use male pronouns or assume anyone's gender.
Ayden Parker
So you keep saying
No one in their right mind would ask this place for real career advice. Do you not see how much of a cancerous shit hole this board is? If you, a "senior at Princeton" can't see that, academia is truly doomed Apologies
Landon Phillips
What do you study, specifically?
Eli Stewart
Philosophy
Michael Moore
You have no specific interests? Areas where your research up to this point has focused?
Nathan Gonzalez
Philosophy
Luke Cox
What are your research interests specifically btw?
Nicholas Davis
Being so well-suited to academia as your profs think, you must be doing the senior thesis option, yes?
What are you writing on?
Ian Stewart
Folk narrative and oral tradition in Medieval England
Jayden Hernandez
Philosophy
David Diaz
Oh it's one of these. Just a story that is only there to inflate your ego, because you really crave for it.
Ok I'll bite!
"Yeah you seem a very smart philosophy princeton student. Your view on life says it all to be honest. I love being smart and being fake humble about it"
>"im an undergrad at IVY SCHOL" >being this spooked Do what the fuck you want. If you want actual advice, ask professors and recent grads.
Ian Kelly
school is helpful to some, not for others especially with more creative-centric degrees - while you'll learn some things most of what you learn is on your own.
Ethan Green
If you are not able to separate academic necessities, as in its investigation rigour and parameters, and your personal development as a reader and interpreter you should quit the endeavour towards a PhD.
Ian Turner
I tend to agree with you, OP. I graduated with a philosophy degree last year and had a similar revelation. My job history + skills got me an internship in IT (business analysis) and got me started in the career. Pay is much better than academia and it's easy enough... and I can actually enjoy philosophy and literature. I feel like I've made the right choice but sometimes my life still feels hollow.
I might go back sometime, but right now I feel like I'm enjoying my life.
Elijah Hill
Lmfao that was quick
Charles King
Hope you're not the one paying for that champ
Landon Hall
>There are books and there is life: books are supposed to be related to life and to produce something in life by modifying the way you see the world.
Christ you are stupid. Yeah I don't advise going to grad school