Oh man am I torn. Based on the premise of said question there are two schools of thought equally and oppositely opposed.

It is of value both to yourself and to society for you to be familiar with the ways of thinking, the questions thought about, and answers people have come up with to those questions, in philosophy. (In descending order of value).

It is probably not a good monetary return on investment to pay a formal institution to teach you to do so.

If you can get some of that formal education "for free" as part of getting a more lucrative and practical formal education, though -- or if money is no object to you somehow -- I found that it was a great way to learn a lot about the topic.

If that's not an option for you, there are lots of options for studying it for free (besides the cost of your time and effort), since much of the material is freely available on the internet. It just might be harder to get as much out of it without a well-trained helping hand.

But that's what some of us are here for.

is it worth [to whom? for what?] studying philosophy? — ramo

Is it worth (it to oneself) maintaining hygiene, health & fitness?

Is it worth it to study unwisdom - philosophy, after all, means 'loving (seeking) wisdom' by those who recognize that they are unwise (e.g. Socrates) - in order to learn how to limit the frequency and scope of (to begin with) one's own judging and acting unwisely?

Is it worth it for congenital fools (i.e. naked loquacious apes) to rehab and thereby commit to a reflective life (of lucidity à la sobriety) contra foolery?

:death: :flower:

what i am asking here is, should i study philosophy at school. or just learn from my self as a hooby

Yes.

what i am asking here is, should i study philosophy at school. or just learn from my self as a hooby — ramo

The answer depends on how good the teacher would be. I remember of a prof who made me love mathematics. I was already good at it by then but his passion brought me to the next level. But then, other teachers can make you hate mathematics, or philosophy.

So you may wish to get a sense of how good this particular philosophy course and teacher are, and whether the topics addressed talk to your own questions and interests.

If the course is going to wonder about hypothetical bald French kings, or about whether, when Suzy thinks something, there is something Suzy thinks or not... my advice is to skip it, unless you find word games fascinating.

If the course is going to give you a broad overview of philosophical problems and traditions, it can be worth it as an orientation for further reading.

And if the teacher has a bit of passion for her discipline, it could be a real treat.

maybe i can try a course on the internett first? just to try it out, i am also very interestet in psycology. english is not may native language, so its important that it is in english. so i can get more knowledge.

I'm a non-native English speaker too.

Is there a big cost (monetary or timewise) to taking the formal course? What's stopping you? Why do you hesitate taking it?

What do you want out of life?

what i am asking here is, should i study philosophy at school. or just learn from my self as a hooby — ramo

You should learn it as a hobby unless you want to study law (not advised) or go into academic philosophy (DEFINITELY not advised.) Learn a useful skill or study something useful. Your bank account will thank you later. Of course people on a philosophy forum are going to tell you to study it, and in a vacuum of course studying philosophy is fine, but if you're preparing to enter the workforce then there are better choices. You can study it all you want after you have a decent job.

This user has been deleted and all their posts removed.

I think philosophy can be self-taught really because there is so much literature available, ranging from introductions to books by the importance authors.
Part of the reason I recommend self-study is that I did study it to a large extent as my first degree, which was Social Ethics. After A levels it seemed exciting and I did really enjoy it. But I did regret it because it did not enable me to get a job. I did a further Mphil focusing on Jung's psychology and the problem of evil and ended up with an even more esoteric CV. I don't really know what I thought I would do after my studies but I do think that if I could go back I would have studied more with a view to a career and have kept my interest in philosophy as a part time, personal interest instead.
Of course, everyone is different and perhaps studying philosophy could lead to becoming a lecturer or even a professor. I would not have the confidence to stand up in front of a class full of students.
As it is, having done voluntary work and training to work I ended up working and losing my job in May. So, I am right back where I started really and I have many years for which I am expected to work.
But in the current employment crisis it is hard to know whether formal education should be more or less career orientated or less so. But it will also be interesting to see what effect the turmoil and increasing poverty for many will have on philosophy as an academic discipline.

Please see the response I just wrote, but I sent it as a reply to another writer rather than you who asked the question.

Yes. But not as a major.

I think philosophy can be self-taught really because there is so much literature available, ranging from introductions to books by the importance authors. — Jack Cummins

I think good reasoning and writing skills can be self taught, but if you're going to get into the weeds with academic philosophy you're probably going to need a PhD near you who can help you navigate some of these thinkers. You can trust a professor in the field to know what's going on, especially when they're dealing with their specialty, and the field really requires a precision with language. I hate to say it, but I'm suspicious of a lot of non-academic philosophy just because I can't entirely trust these writers to fully understand some philosophers or arguments. Until it's been approved by peer review or comes from someone within academic I'm suspicious.

I don't really know what I thought I would do after my studies but I do think that if I could go back I would have studied more with a view to a career and have kept my interest in philosophy as a part time, personal interest instead. — Jack Cummins

Yeah, I think studying philosophy while not being entirely sure what field you're going to go into is a common experience - it happened with me too. I just kind of fell in love with the subject and closed myself off to the outside world, and when the 4 years of that degree were up I was kind of left empty handed.

But in the current employment crisis it is hard to know whether formal education should be more or less career orientated or less so. — Jack Cummins

Personally, I tend to lean towards it being more career oriented. A college education is an investment - often a 6 figure one - that lasts 4 years here in the states and I think the entire education model needs to be reworked because it's becoming unsustainable. For one, you're asking 19-20 year old kids who have no experience in the outside world to choose what their field of study will be and many just choose what seems most fun or intellectually stimulating. I think I choose philosophy at the time because I was interested in whether objective morality existed and maybe the major could help me reach an answer. When you have no bills to pay why not choose a major based on that?

You have a very good point there, i really think that I need some kind of mentor, or a place I can go to. But maybe it’s possible without school. We live in a digitalized age. Anything can be done with a computer. Bill gates, elon musk and many great thinkers are self-thought. But someone helped them one the way. i can make a digitalized community like we have here.

is it worth studying philosophy? — ramo

No. If you have a choice, don't.

Perhaps education is better in America than in England. On various courses I have done, especially recent short courses, I have found that that tutors have been remote, with the tutors being more concerned about their own research reputation.
I do really feel that the introduction into philosophy on my Social Ethics course has been profound in many ways. So, maybe when I speak of not helping in a career pathway, the problem might not be the course in itself but the way in which certain courses are perceived by employers. Sadly, the Social Ethics course has been discontinued in England and I don't think there is another course of its kind.
I wonder whether I would have been better or worse if I had studied Philosophy rather than Social Ethics, because it blended philosophy with the social sciences and did focus primarily on ethics. In some senses I think that the application of philosophy avoids too much detachment from daily life but I do wonder if I would have achieved a fuller overview of the whole picture of philosophy if the inclusion of other disciplines had not been so strong.
Generally, from an interest in academic philosophy and the study of life itself, I think that initial courses are a good starting point but we also have to follow our own pathways in reading and thinking. As far as mentors go, it is good to have tutors as mentors but sometimes we may meet our best mentors in the most unexpected places.

is it worth studying philosophy?
— ramo

No. If you have a choice, don't. — Banno

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Most of the contributors to TPF have no choice

Yes. But not as a major. — ssu

Philosophy should only be a personal endeavor, because philosophy will not enable you to change the world, nor will it enable you to change anyone else's opinion, but it will definitely change you (if you study it with genuine interest and an open mind)

No. If you have a choice, don't. — Banno

It is only those obsessive type who do... because we do not have a choice.

I see Merk beat me to it!

is it worth studying philosophy?
— ramo

No. If you have a choice, don't. — Banno

Oh, right, I forgot the "choice" bit. :up: :smirk:

The words used in the question are interesting.
The "it" is a worthless pronoun, aiming at something off the stage.
The "is" suggests that what can be found of value can be summed up as a condition of the moment.
Studying is something one does or not. It is not like something one chooses to do at the expense of another activity. Lots of people work and study at the same time.
If "Philosophy" is something you can take up or not, then it is not the demand for attention it purports to be. It becomes a pretended emergency.

I replied to a post months ago about what it was like to pursue philosophy in higher education. I can't find it though. =/

I have a masters in philosophy. I was also a math teacher for 5 years in high school. I have had students ask me why they should go to college.

There are 2 simple reasons to go to college.

1. A job which is in demand and will make you decent money.
2. Passion for a career.

Philosophy will not give you 1. Philosophy will only give you 2. And after I obtained my masters, I found that academia would not really give me number 2 either. It might for you, but it sounds like you're just curious.

If you are new in college, you might be interested in something fun and interesting as a career. Don't. You are paying a TON of money. Unless you have a passion you can see committing your life's work to, find a field that pays well and has high demand. Don't take "easy" classes except when you have to fill credits. If you can get out of college making 60k+, you'll thank yourself later.

You don't want to be a college grad making 30-40k a year. Been there, done that.

Yeeeeesssss :groan:

what i am asking here is, should i study philosophy at school. or just learn from my self as a hooby — ramo

There's only so much you can do with philosophy as a hobby. Doing philosophy full-time means you've decided to dedicate your life to it. Methinks there'll be a difference between the two in terms of performance and results.

Yes.

... and if it's as a major (like I did) the best way of having a conversation starter and a joke is to get a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy.

Indeed... I'm one of the rare folks you will find who actually has a B.S. in Philosophy.

I like the idea of dedication to philosophy as a full time pursuit. I think I did really begin with that aim but got pushed away due to pressures from family and friends.

Material pursuits do get in the way, especially the two you identified: survival and finding a mate. Even though you said that you would like to find a girl you maybe lucky that you didn't because you might not have ended up as free to pursue philosophy. The girl and children may have been making so much demands for time and money.

I have got to the point where I do wish to pursue philosophy and the inner life, alongside art and writing, but it is not easy. As I have said on a couple of threads I have had to move a couple of times recently but I am determined to follow my inner daimon. I am sure that I will encounter many obstacles.

I think the main obstacle is the prejudice against philosophy and the inner life. I did train as a psychiatric nurse and my whole motivation was about the understanding and mastering of inner life. At first, I encountered professionals who empathise or sympathised with my aims. However, gradually the whole approach has become based on more materialistic aims. I used to have philosophical conversations with my patients and I even got told off by managers, who regarded this as a waste of time. I used to be told things like I would be better getting the patients involved in cleaning duties.

But I have got to the point where I don't think I can or wish to be a slave to the system any longer. I don't believe it was the life I ever intended. B

You can study it all you want after you have a decent job — BitconnectCarlos

Casting my vote here.

I kind of find it funny how there's so much emphasis upon 'earning money' or a 'decent job', as if life solely consists of Birth, School, Work, Death...

... oh well.

To each their own I suppose, but I've happily danced along to another tune without an emphasis upon either of these 'important factors'.



btw... Isn't it somehow a bit of a loaded question to ask if studying philosophy is worth it on a philosophy forum?