• Wheatley
    2.3k
    I've finally come to realize that I'm not the brightest bulb on the ceiling. I'm just not that smart. I don't do well on intellectual activities. I didn't do very well at school. I don't score high on IQ tests. I'm not smart enough to understand books and what people say. My attention span is lousy. My working memory is terrible in that I instantly forget what just happened. Like now for example, I can't remember the last two sentences I wrote. Furthermore, I don't understand abstract concepts often utilized in philosophy.

    Philosophy is an intellectual, and partly a social, exercise. Since I suck at both of them I have come to the conclusion to a question I asked a long time ago. Should I give up on philosophy? The answer is, sadly, yes. Goodbye. :sad:

    P.S. If I ever get smarter I'll come back and let you know. I mean it's not like you can't increase your IQ. Oh, wait.
  • Baden
    16.3k


    You might be being a bit hard on yourself. A genuine interest in philosophy and a reasonable level of competence in postings is all that's required to get along here. Then again, if some of the difficulties of thinking philosophically are turning you off, there may be better ways to focus your time. Don't beat yourself up anyhow. You're always welcome here.
  • S
    11.7k
    You might be being a bit hard on yourself.Baden

    He definitely is. I still remember when I started to read one of my first books on philosophy. It was very technical, and not an easy book for a beginner. I simply couldn't grasp much of it. It was gobbledygook to me. But I persevered, because I had an urge - a obsession even - with learning to understand what it all meant. Fast forward, and here I am. I understand so much more now, but then it has been around ten years, so that's understandable. I haven't just been sitting on my hands this whole time.

    You have two options: persevere or give up. If you're obsessive like me, you'll opt with the former.
  • Nickel
    9
    If you have the nouse to post 370 times on this forum, then you are definitely doing yourself down.
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