Do you think that the pursuit of understanding should be enjoyable or challenging?

No, I think it's great for testing my beliefs and learning from others. And seeing pig pics.

Not to forget the silent determination of the masses and the affirmation of alien life by those who know better than me.

How could I be "wasting my time here" (or anywhere else) when wherever I am time is already wasting me?

Generally, I think that this forum is a great interactive way of learning. Of course, there are times when the threads going are of lesser personal interest than others and there is so much scope for creating threads. I discovered this forum over 2 years ago, and when I look back on it I think that I have done as much reading, writing and thinking as I did on my undergraduate course.

And, there is some fun as well. When the Shoutbox moved onto the front page I wondered what it was. But, now, I see it as a lighter side and more informal, and with the story threads as being complementary. There are also so many different voices from people of all kinds of backgrounds, so I find it to be such a useful learning resource and enjoyable too.

There aren't good alternatives where I live, and I very much enjoy what I do. But it's also hard to enjoy these things without discussing them. Waste of time can be very nebulous: you could be visiting a country or meeting a "distinguished" member of society, but if you are bored and/or not stimulated then you are wasting your time with these "useful" activities.

What is the pursuit of understanding in your opinion? To me it sounds very vague.

So, are you looking for higher quality content as per the OP?

What is the pursuit of understanding in your opinion? To me it sounds very vague. — Shawn

Broad, but not vague. For me, everyone on here shares a common love of thinking and expressing thought, albeit across a very broad spectrum of subjects. Hopefully there is enough diversity that everyone can find something to his taste. I'm leery to some extent of standards of quality, as Schopenhauer was, as they can easily lead to stultification. The mods seem to manage all that handily.

Not higher quality per se, but content that expands on my own interests.

There is also very high-quality content here and some which are not very good. But my options are rather limited and I find that many posters here are very good and interesting.

No.

Higher quality content. Such a thing doesn't exist for me. I don't rank contents as "high" or "low" quality.

Their presentation and treatment I can dislike, like, or be amazed at. It is the newness of insight that impresses me, but interestingly only the first time I encounter it. After the first encounter with it and digesting it and making it my own, I am not impressed if someone serves it up again.

Talk about the quickness of declining value of marginal utility. That's my middle name.

There are pet theories, however, that I cherish always.

I like every character here, so to speak. This is a good "mix". I would be entertained if you all were simply sitting around discussing how terrible I am as a person. Perhaps it's like my old English teacher would say "Kid's easily impressed". Perhaps he was right.

As stated, the content is also high quality and thought-provoking so that's great as well.

No, I think the quality of content on here is more than reasonable. There are interesting discussions and plenty of knowledgeable members.

[copy paste down the rabbit hole's comment]

So, are you looking for higher quality content as per the OP? — Shawn

I would like to see more high quality stuff, such as more essay or book reading groups, like we did in the beginning. But I realize I’m not leading by example, as I hardly contribute to the philosophy discussions these days. Seems I could only keep that up for a few years.

I have pending a Locke's Essay reading group, probably will cover 3-4 different chapter, but I've still to finish it again. but am not too far from it.

Excellent, gold star to you!

I would like to see more high quality stuff, such as more essay or book reading groups, like we did in the beginning. — Jamal

I was going to ask the same thing; but, the current festive atmosphere ought not be disturbed so I digress.

I'm looking forward to inviting a philosopher if possible or starting up a reading group.

Anyone else want to have a reading group also?

When I want "higher quality content" I read the greats. But sometimes it's interesting to wallow in one's own lower quality content, put it out there and see how it relates to the lower level contents of others.

If you got nothing out of it, it would be a waste of time, for sure, but then how long would anyone participate in anything they got nothing at all out of?

But I realize I’m not leading by example, as I hardly contribute to the philosophy discussions these days. Seems I could only keep that up for a few years. — Jamal

If only all of us were as wise as you; but then that would mean the death of PF.

To be serious, the wish for higher quality content is the wish that this site should approximate to academia; and I see academia as being, in general, rather narrow and normatively constricted. I like to encounter as diverse a range of views as possible, no matter how whacky or "folksy' they might seem, because thereby I can understand humanity better.

When I want "higher quality content" I read the greats. — Janus

I'm not concerned with the greats. All that characterizes them is their originality, and genius. I do enjoy as of recent more of the analytic and academic philosophers. They seem to be on well grounding that is fun to entertain and provides a nice relief from all the hogwash and wallowing.

I would prefer higher quality content. Who wouldn’t? It is what is … a ‘stepping stone’, at best, onto other things, a pool of boredom and squalor at worst.

I learnt before joining this forum that it would serve mainly as a place to hone my writing and reading in a more critical way. That is all.

I would prefer higher quality content. Who wouldn’t? It is what is … a ‘stepping stone’, at best, onto other things, a pool of boredom and squalor at worst.

I learnt before joining this forum that it would serve mainly as a place to hone my writing and reading in a more critical way. That is all. — I like sushi

I resemble this. I will admit, with all it's flaws, tpf is the best site that a thinker can test his ideas on others who are, more or less, philosophically minded. But if a person really wants to improve his philosophical acumen, he would undoubtedly resort to the source material of the greats, hence a "stepping stone".

I'd like to see more high quality content, but like Jamal I don't manage to offer it much myself at the moment. I have fairly narrow interests, mainly the philosophy of consciousness. I miss really good posters like pfhorrest and The Great Whatever. Both of those had really thought about a lot of stuff and came on the forum to test it all out. If I had the spoons I'd like to do a reading group taking a paper on consciousness once a month or something. Some of the ones about basing consciousness in semiotics might be a good start as I don't understand that very well. Pattee on cell phenomenology and the first experience is interesting.

I would like to see more high quality stuff — Jamal

"Do you feel like you're wasting your time being here?"

What is "wasted time"?

No, we don't want to see more high quality stuff. Quality is too demanding, too burdensome, hard to produce, often tedious to read. We don't have to go for absolute slop, but let's be sensible: sitting down at the mighty Mac and turning out refined, insightful, elegant, and witty text is a major drain on one's ever-diminishing intellectual resources. I could be brilliant, but then I would be too exhausted to appreciate the adulation which fallow philosophers would shower on me.

Enough about the flight to quality!

would like to see more high quality stuff
— Jamal

"Do you feel like you're wasting your time being here?"

What is "wasted time"?

No, we don't want to see more high quality stuff. Quality is too demanding, too burdensome, hard to produce, often tedious to read. We don't have to go for absolute slop, but let's be sensible: sitting down at the mighty Mac and turning out refined, insightful, elegant, and witty text is a major drain on one's ever-diminishing intellectual resources. I could be brilliant, but then I would be too exhausted to appreciate the adulation which fallow philosophers would shower on me.

Enough about the flight to quality! — Bitter Crank

You got what you were craving for @Jamal! :grin:

I'm not sure that it is quality that matters most to me. There's a lot of very different kinds of stuff going on, but that allows me to be selective. What I'm looking for is what interests and stimulates me. Quality is a secondary consideration.

I don't live in a philosophical community, as the academics do, (though an academic department can be very limited) and there are few people locally who have the faintest interest in philosophy. Reading and thinking about stuff on my own is a bit stultifying after quite a short while. So engagement with other people is crucial.

I think that the screen medium and the endless material tends to lead to me scrolling through stuff without really taking any of it in, and I find myself doing that here, too. But scrolling through stuff here is better than doing the same thing on the more popular sites. That is guaranteed to be a waste of time.

I imagine that when I have been a member for years, I will have experienced times when it gets boring and times when it isn't. Nothing is forever - except death and taxes, I suppose.

It's a community. It doesn't matter too much if I am wasting my time; it is multiply more serious If I am wasting everyone's time. The community knows and understands more than any individual member, and a good part of the enjoyment is finding bits and pieces of wisdom from disparate fields brought into relationship in the discussions of others. The best threads for me are always the ones I am not competent to participate in.

I could be brilliant, but then I would be too exhausted to appreciate the adulation which fallow philosophers would shower on me. — Bitter Crank

:up: (Was the "fallow" intentional or a typo?)

The best threads for me are always the ones I am not competent to participate in. — unenlightened

I agree, but one must be at least competent enough to comprehend what is being presented.

Yes, looking at the present. At any given point in time, discussions can feel simultaneously too in depth and too superficial all at once. Though I've felt the same thing in more academic contexts too. That coincidence is a good sign.

But an emphatic no to the time wasting based on the number of times chatting with people here has changed how I act IRL for the better.

Examples:
( 1 ) Learning about emotivism here years ago has helped out talking with some very angry people ranting about injustices in their lives.
( 2 ) I've gotten a lot better at taking on much different points of view from my own engaging here over the years. A steelman Devil's Advocate is good practice for empathy. This has helped me process strong disagreements with others.
( 3 ) In line with processing strong disagreements, a distinction I've practiced thinking in terms of here is one between opinions expressed with words and those expressed in actions. People can believe diametrically opposed things and act in the same way; makes the words matter less.
( 4 ) In line with making the words matter less, playing about with arguments for years has helped me both notice and construct my own rhetorical dark arts. Noticing and making emotional appeals, knowing when to smooth concepts over to make a point despite not fully committing to them. Lying and noticing lying with skill, to put a fine point on it.

I guess it's what is to be expected from learning though. Most events along the path are run of the mill, you do not notice their incremental effects.