Why the Hell Philosophy (Musing of University Freshman on Philosophy requirement)

[Erthona]

(Saw some poems on philosophy, it reminded me of this old thing [15 years]. Decided I'd inflict it on anyone dumb enough to read it. I'm sure it has something to do with natural selection.)

Plato, Eckhart, David Hume,
must I these moldy text exhume?
Nietzsche, Hegel, Heidegger,
black the sun and muss the air.
Phenomenology,
not what a word is meant to be,
Episte who? Episte what?
I think this all a bunch of rot.
It makes my head begin to ache,
It makes my knees begin to shake.
Kant with sentence much to long,
Aristotle defines what’s wrong.
Cogito ergo sum,
hubris though I might presume,
I just don’t get it, I just don’t see,
why the hell philosophy?

©1997 -Erthona

[rayheinrich]

I was dumb enough, my eyes feel funny, I think you've inflicted me.

I had a girlfriend once who tried to explained it to me; but that was
so long ago that I can't even remember not understanding it.

[popeye]

Good one d'Artagnan very musketeer (wanted to write cavalier but that's on the other side of the channel init). Only one thing wrong with this poem, it's too short mate, most enjoyable Dale thanks for the read, cheers

[abu nuwas]

Of all of those who follow Kant,
Who delve, or read, or lightly skim,
All must face his lengthy rant:
And all are handicapped by him.

[Erthona]

"Only one thing wrong with this poem, it's too short mate"
Well freshmen have short attention spans!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"all are handicapped by him."


I spent three hours per week in individual study for a semester each on the pure and the practical. My head always was hurting afterwards. Sometimes we would not even get through a page. There are many stories about Kant, but one of my favorites goes,

Kant was on his way to work and was stopped by another man. The man said, "Herr Professor Kant I truly enjoy your writing and I would read more if I only had another hand." Kant somewhat taken aback replied, "I believe your meaning has escaped me." "well you see sir," the man responded, "As I start a new paragraph, I put a finger on each new point, but before I can finish the paragraph, I have run out of fingers!"

Thanks for the read and the discourse!


Dale

[Haunter]

Quite interesting! It should have contained Schopenhauer as well, though...