A question that I think about often is, how do we know? I have thought about this off and on for a while now, before ever having heard the philosophical term for it, epistemology, and how we come to "know" things, which I just learned of a few days ago. It seems that this is the branch of philosophy that asks about how we know things.
I didn't go so granular as to say, how do I know I exist? How do I know a thought or my thoughts? But more along the lines of, how will I know when I meet the person I am going to marry? How will or how do I know what career is right for me? How will I know?
Have you ever had a feeling (and as far as I can tell, I've only had a handful of these "feelings,") that you did know? I can think of two times in my life when I felt that I did "know" something about those two topics related to what was happening in my life, and I still remember these moments, because they were such strong feelings that I had.
One was about a boy. I had been dating someone very casually in New York, and we did the typical New York "thing." We saw each other once or twice a week and had a great time, and then didn't speak for the next few days, or didn't actually try to have a real relationship based on communication and caring. But yet, one day this boy sent me an e-mail, just any old 2-liner really, and I was just hit with this FEELING - and the feeling was "I am going to marry this guy.: Well - that has not turned out to be the case. In fact, our dating ended in disaster and I'm pretty certain that we aren't going to get married...and yet...that day...that feeling, was so strong, it was almost like a clear signal indicating to me something powerful and true.
The other feeling I had, and both of these were in the past 2 years, prior to that, of course I had had "feelings" about guys and jobs and "things happening for a reason" but these were just different somehow, was about a Philosophy class I ended up taking at UC Berkeley. I came across the class while searching for Sociology classes, and I just knew I had to take the class. There was no rhyme or reason to it, I had never scoured Philosophy classes in any course offering list prior to that day, but I read the 2 line description on learning about free will, and morality, and I was hooked. I quit my job, moved to California, and took the class, and it was truly, everything I had hoped it would be and more. And now, about a year later, I am enrolled in a Philosophy program, as opposed to Sociology, which was my original and much more practical, intention.
I still have yet to understand what these feelings were. Were they just feelings, though powerful, that were fleeting, and though meant much at the time, didn't mean much in the overall scheme of things? Did I interpret them too strongly, give them too much weight? On the one hand, I'm now studying Philosophy. But what about Sociology? And what about that guy? It ended in disaster, and yet, that day, wow, I will never forget that feeling.
Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts
8/28/11
That we are Social Beings
Sociologists and psychologists are emphasizing that we are social beings, and thus, that our happiness relies heavily on social satisfaction (having friends, feeling needed, loved, respected, belonging, etc).
I am pleased to see more about this specific type of study (our social needs being related directly to our happiness) because I have always felt strongly that this was indeed the case for me.
I have always felt and believed, that I would not move far in my life without some type of real, recognizable, and invested social support (from my friends, boyfriends, or family). And, for me, this has been true.
Finally, at the age of 29, and aware that the situation is always changing, I feel that I have some true similar friends and fit in to the city I live in (San Francisco). This has absolutely enabled me to have more confidence in pursuing my own dreams, rather than hold back out of fear and lack of support.
Sometimes, for better or worse, things just take time. I knew that this (needing some specific social support) was what I needed in order to further in my own personal goals, but getting it was still not that easy. However, in fact, as I write this, I want to highlight that moving to the right city for me - one that fit with who I was and with what I liked to do, and that also offered the right kinds of opportunity and growth was key. It has made all the difference in my life.
Here is the Atlantic Monthly Article on new insights into our Happiness.
I am pleased to see more about this specific type of study (our social needs being related directly to our happiness) because I have always felt strongly that this was indeed the case for me.
I have always felt and believed, that I would not move far in my life without some type of real, recognizable, and invested social support (from my friends, boyfriends, or family). And, for me, this has been true.
Finally, at the age of 29, and aware that the situation is always changing, I feel that I have some true similar friends and fit in to the city I live in (San Francisco). This has absolutely enabled me to have more confidence in pursuing my own dreams, rather than hold back out of fear and lack of support.
Sometimes, for better or worse, things just take time. I knew that this (needing some specific social support) was what I needed in order to further in my own personal goals, but getting it was still not that easy. However, in fact, as I write this, I want to highlight that moving to the right city for me - one that fit with who I was and with what I liked to do, and that also offered the right kinds of opportunity and growth was key. It has made all the difference in my life.
Here is the Atlantic Monthly Article on new insights into our Happiness.
8/27/11
Confusion
People who know what they want to do when they are 12, and maintain that throughout their lives, are lucky.
They solved just one of the few modern day life challenges early on.
I'm still thinking about it, and to be quite honest, it causes me quite a lot of angst. One - because I haven't narrowed down which discipline it is that I really want to dedicate my life to, but I keep coming up with some combination of Philosophy + Sociology + Journalism + Writing + Behavior + Decision Sciences.
Do I really have to choose? Within Philosophy itself, there's applied ethics, modern philosophy ancient, epistemology, metaphysics, logic, etc. The sheer amount of branches blows my mind. How can I choose?
I remember wanting to do market research and not aggressively pursuing it because I let other people discourage me. In fact, I should have tried harder to pursue something I wanted, that being market research, at the time. Instead, I was passive and I waited, and I hated all of my jobs.
I can't keep looking behind though, I have to look forward too. I don't know, just the way other people talk about what they are doing, they had more conviction and certainty. And it may not be that they ACTUALLY HAVE more conviction and certainty, they just say and act like they have more certainty and confidence.
Ugh. It's painful. It's like, I want to be a Social Scientist, which points to Sociology, and I am by nature of how I thin, already a scientist, but for some stupid, painful reason I cannot explain, (seriously) - all invisible arrows point to Philosophy. Even though I really think I would be so good at Sociology, perhaps I would be EVEN better at Philosophy. Still trying to figure it out! Sigh.
They solved just one of the few modern day life challenges early on.
I'm still thinking about it, and to be quite honest, it causes me quite a lot of angst. One - because I haven't narrowed down which discipline it is that I really want to dedicate my life to, but I keep coming up with some combination of Philosophy + Sociology + Journalism + Writing + Behavior + Decision Sciences.
Do I really have to choose? Within Philosophy itself, there's applied ethics, modern philosophy ancient, epistemology, metaphysics, logic, etc. The sheer amount of branches blows my mind. How can I choose?
I remember wanting to do market research and not aggressively pursuing it because I let other people discourage me. In fact, I should have tried harder to pursue something I wanted, that being market research, at the time. Instead, I was passive and I waited, and I hated all of my jobs.
I can't keep looking behind though, I have to look forward too. I don't know, just the way other people talk about what they are doing, they had more conviction and certainty. And it may not be that they ACTUALLY HAVE more conviction and certainty, they just say and act like they have more certainty and confidence.
Ugh. It's painful. It's like, I want to be a Social Scientist, which points to Sociology, and I am by nature of how I thin, already a scientist, but for some stupid, painful reason I cannot explain, (seriously) - all invisible arrows point to Philosophy. Even though I really think I would be so good at Sociology, perhaps I would be EVEN better at Philosophy. Still trying to figure it out! Sigh.
8/18/11
The Hand you are Dealt in Poker and in Life
I was almost going to name this post "Just One of the Many Philosophical Questions I have been Pondering for Years." I also want to point out that just the other day, in a prior post, I mentioned that I was a little hesitant about my decision to go back to graduate school for Philosophy. Irony?
If you have ever played Poker, then you know that in Texas Hold 'Em, the best starting hand you can get dealt is Pocket Aces. If you get dealt AA, you are definitely ahead of anybody else pre-flop. Exact probabilities change as it also depends on number of players and your position but generally speaking, you are ahead of the other players at this point. Though getting Pocket Aces does not guarantee that you will win, it sure does stack the odds in your favor.
That's kind of similar to, well, the hand you are dealt in life. Some people are born dealt Pocket Aces. Of course, how they choose to play their Pocket Aces, is up to them. On the other hand, other people are born with the equivalent of 3 5 Offsuit. A quite unfavorable hand.
It's always struck me as kind of odd, weird, or even dare I say, unfair that much of our luck in life from the outset, is derived from and dependent on factors that out of our control. That really, truly occur prior to our being born = we clearly had no input over our genetics and family history upon our arrival into this world, for example.
And to say that people create their own circumstances, which they do, and that often times things have a way of working out, which happens more often than not, still does not seem to be comprehensive, or inclusive, justify, or encapsulate enough of the mere fact that you had no control or responsibility for the outcome of your general make-up and being (nature) or initial environments (nurture), which is really quite important to who you are, who you become, and who you can become, and YET so much of your LIFE depends on those very circumstances.
Conclusion: Life is unfair because though you may have been dealt a better hand (better genetics, better family circumstances) you did not do anything to deserve this and vice versa for being dealt a bad hand. Unless of course, you believe that earned it in a previous life or something like that.
If you have ever played Poker, then you know that in Texas Hold 'Em, the best starting hand you can get dealt is Pocket Aces. If you get dealt AA, you are definitely ahead of anybody else pre-flop. Exact probabilities change as it also depends on number of players and your position but generally speaking, you are ahead of the other players at this point. Though getting Pocket Aces does not guarantee that you will win, it sure does stack the odds in your favor.
That's kind of similar to, well, the hand you are dealt in life. Some people are born dealt Pocket Aces. Of course, how they choose to play their Pocket Aces, is up to them. On the other hand, other people are born with the equivalent of 3 5 Offsuit. A quite unfavorable hand.
It's always struck me as kind of odd, weird, or even dare I say, unfair that much of our luck in life from the outset, is derived from and dependent on factors that out of our control. That really, truly occur prior to our being born = we clearly had no input over our genetics and family history upon our arrival into this world, for example.
And to say that people create their own circumstances, which they do, and that often times things have a way of working out, which happens more often than not, still does not seem to be comprehensive, or inclusive, justify, or encapsulate enough of the mere fact that you had no control or responsibility for the outcome of your general make-up and being (nature) or initial environments (nurture), which is really quite important to who you are, who you become, and who you can become, and YET so much of your LIFE depends on those very circumstances.
Conclusion: Life is unfair because though you may have been dealt a better hand (better genetics, better family circumstances) you did not do anything to deserve this and vice versa for being dealt a bad hand. Unless of course, you believe that earned it in a previous life or something like that.
8/17/11
Studying Philosophy
I am going back to school in s few days and getting my Master's degree in Philosophy.
I know this is not a practical move.
But I've worked for both corporations and start-ups for the past 7 years, that have been completely uninspiring. I can explain why in more detail later. Though I have always somehow made it work, it has always come at a high cost, and while not at work, I tried desperately to squeeze in hours of fun into every other second of my day in order to compensate for the dreariness of the day.
Since I am prone over analysis and over thinking, which should serve me well as a Philosophy student, I have given some thought about some of the trade-offs.
Two Big Ones -
- The financial loss (potential income earned while in school and after) vs. education and learning gained while in school.
- Major uncertainty about future job and career prospects vs. happiness and freedom from constraint.
Other benefits - the opportunity to stretch the muscles in my brain, a positive change in environment and doing something I am interested in.
And finally - putting my money where my mouth is!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What I hope to gain from my graduate experience:
Clarity and narrowing of fields in terms of my long-term career options. Do I want to be a Professor? Do Research? Be a Writer? All of the above? What can I study such that I will be expert in a field that will be in demand in 10 years from now?
Direction - there are still many disciplines I am interested in. Sociology and Business included. Can I find a blend of Philosophy, Sociology, and Business/Economics?
My class schedule for Fall 2011 - Formal Logic, Modern Philosophy, Being and Knowing, Seminar in Philosophical Writing, and a Graduate Level Logic Workshop.
I know this is not a practical move.
But I've worked for both corporations and start-ups for the past 7 years, that have been completely uninspiring. I can explain why in more detail later. Though I have always somehow made it work, it has always come at a high cost, and while not at work, I tried desperately to squeeze in hours of fun into every other second of my day in order to compensate for the dreariness of the day.
Since I am prone over analysis and over thinking, which should serve me well as a Philosophy student, I have given some thought about some of the trade-offs.
Two Big Ones -
- The financial loss (potential income earned while in school and after) vs. education and learning gained while in school.
- Major uncertainty about future job and career prospects vs. happiness and freedom from constraint.
Other benefits - the opportunity to stretch the muscles in my brain, a positive change in environment and doing something I am interested in.
And finally - putting my money where my mouth is!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What I hope to gain from my graduate experience:
Clarity and narrowing of fields in terms of my long-term career options. Do I want to be a Professor? Do Research? Be a Writer? All of the above? What can I study such that I will be expert in a field that will be in demand in 10 years from now?
Direction - there are still many disciplines I am interested in. Sociology and Business included. Can I find a blend of Philosophy, Sociology, and Business/Economics?
My class schedule for Fall 2011 - Formal Logic, Modern Philosophy, Being and Knowing, Seminar in Philosophical Writing, and a Graduate Level Logic Workshop.
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