just joined from Scotland

[darcyboy]

Hello all!

I have just joined and am looking forward to connecting with like minds interested in Philosophy and investigation / exploration.

I Studied Philosophy and Psychology at the University of St Andrews, Scotland and have now decided to start actually writing about this amazing subject. While studying I found that a lot of the text books are written in an almost special 'Philosophical' language which I often found difficult to even interpret. So my book will be a Plain English book so that new people to Philosophy won't be turned off or discouraged.

I like Philosophical topics related to subjects such as Determinism and the Nature of Reality - do we live in the 'great simulation' after all? I also have a fascination with the Paranormal - an area that not a lot of traditional Philosophers have delved into.

I look forward to hearing from anyone!

Kind regards

[Belindi]

You are very young to have studied anything at university level, especially a university like St Andrews where entrance standards are high.

Plain English is always a worthy aim. I would have thought your tutors would guide you to selected original texts and offer some paraphrases where the language is difficult. There are philosophy books written for primary, and secondary school children where plain English and simple explanation is a priority.

Philosophers don't all have the same literary style and there is no special "philosophical language". Philosophy demands active reading which means you need the ability to focus on what the author is saying. Are you accustomed to reading books in general?

Psychology is a science that involves a lot of measurement and correlating of data. This also requires the ability to focus on the question being asked and the possible answers to the question.

[Robert66]

You are very young to have studied anything at university level, especially a university like St Andrews where entrance standards are high.

How old is darcyboy? He makes no mention of his age. And if he is indeed 'very young', what does darcyboy's age have to do with meeting high entrance standards?

Philosophy demands active reading ...

... which is in very short supply around here, as you will discover, darcyboy.

Are you accustomed to reading books in general?

Never mind if you are not, darcyboy - Belindi will explain everything.

[Belindi]

You are very young to have studied anything at university level, especially a university like St Andrews where entrance standards are high.

How old is darcyboy? He makes no mention of his age. And if he is indeed 'very young', what does darcyboy's age have to do with meeting high entrance standards?

Philosophy demands active reading ...

... which is in very short supply around here, as you will discover, darcyboy.

Are you accustomed to reading books in general?

Never mind if you are not, darcyboy - Belindi will explain everything.

I wish I could explain everything!
When I said Darcyboy is very young I was of course guessing. D's style suits an enthusiastic youth who seeks a shortcut to learning. His "I have studied" is vague and his opinions not typical of a student who has learned psychology or philosophy . St Andrews University has entrance standards that show evidence of distinction at school.If Darcyboy had taken the trouble to find out about parapsychology at undergraduate level he would have known about the special difficulties of studying it.

On the plus side Darcyboy makes nice paragraphs. He shows willingness to learn and exchange ideas.

[Robert66]

You are very young to have studied anything at university level, especially a university like St Andrews where entrance standards are high.

How old is darcyboy? He makes no mention of his age. And if he is indeed 'very young', what does darcyboy's age have to do with meeting high entrance standards?

Philosophy demands active reading ...

... which is in very short supply around here, as you will discover, darcyboy.

Are you accustomed to reading books in general?

Never mind if you are not, darcyboy - Belindi will explain everything.

I wish I could explain everything!
When I said Darcyboy is very young I was of course guessing. D's style suits an enthusiastic youth who seeks a shortcut to learning. His "I have studied" is vague and his opinions not typical of a student who has learned psychology or philosophy . St Andrews University has entrance standards that show evidence of distinction at school.If Darcyboy had taken the trouble to find out about parapsychology at undergraduate level he would have known about the special difficulties of studying it.

On the plus side Darcyboy makes nice paragraphs. He shows willingness to learn and exchange ideas.

Of course you were guessing?! You never thought to ask darcyboy's age, or preface your statement with "It seems ...". No, you wrote 'You are very young ...'

And now darcyboy collects another condescending insult - 'an enthusiastic youth who seeks a shortcut to learning'! A shortcut via university!

What is so vague about darcyboy's statement 'I Studied Philosophy and Psychology at the University of St Andrews'?

'St Andrews University has entrance standards that show evidence of distinction at school.' Many would follow that sentence with something like "Congratulations, darcyboy". Not Belindi. Belindi goes on to imply that darcyboy has not even grasped the fundamentals of a subject he just told us he has 'a fascination with.'

'He shows willingness to learn and exchange ideas.' How very gracious of you, Belindi, to make such an acknowledgement.

It would be good to exchange ideas with someone who has studied interesting subject matter at university. Maybe we could learn things by reading what darcyboy has to say on the topics he has studied or is interested in. I wonder where darcyboy is now, and I hope he has found a place where he can exchange ideas.

[Robert66]

PS This thread could also be filed under "What is wrong with the Online Philosophy Club".

On that note, have you seen this?:

https://www.quora.com/What-do-you-think ... phy-forums

[Belindi]

I hope you do feel challenged, Darcyboy.

Okay then, you tell us what are the special difficulties of studying parapsychology !

If you want to raise the intellectual standard of this forum, then you do it. The forum, like a university, is composed of individuals.

[LuckyR]

PS This thread could also be filed under "What is wrong with the Online Philosophy Club".

On that note, have you seen this?:

https://www.quora.com/What-do-you-think ... phy-forums

I have now. Just for fun I searched wmhoerr's posts looking for the hostility he refers to in his rant. I didn't find any in my cursory review. To be honest, not a suprise as he was/is a very thoughtful and well spoken individual who could hold his own in most arguments.

So he's either extremely thinskinned (doubtful in my eyes) or is referring to exchanges he read that didn't involve himself.

[Ecurb]

I just want to know if darcyboy knew Prince William. Or perhaps he's too young to have been at St. Andrews when William attended.

[Robert66]

I hope you do feel challenged, Darcyboy.

Okay then, you tell us what are the special difficulties of studying parapsychology !

If you want to raise the intellectual standard of this forum, then you do it. The forum, like a university, is composed of individuals.

Complete your assignment and submit your work immediately, Darcyboy, so that Belindi can finish marking your report card. Thus far it reads:

Darcyboy (please note: I have corrected his previously non-capitalised moniker) is very young and enthusiastic. He shows willingness to learn and exchange ideas, and appears to have at least one worthy aim. He makes nice paragraphs.

Darcyboy appears to be vague, and must pay more attention to his tutors, so that he may benefit from their guidance and their expertise in the comprehension of difficult language. His achievement of the high entrance standard required by St. Andrews remains a mystery, and I recommend that Darcyboy read books written for primary school children, or indeed any books at all.

Darcyboy has non-typical opinions, and may therefore be ineligible for entrance to the Club. The Board will need more evidence of Darcyboy's efforts in active reading, and focussing on the question being asked.



***
Office use only:
Provisional grade - F
(*1 week extension granted. Assignment due 220920)

[Belindi]

Darcyboy as a undergraduate student of psychology and philosophy would learn faster and broader if he spent his valuable time at university studying texts recommended and discussing psychology and philosophy with his tutor rather than wasting his time with a bunch of amateurs online.

[Robert66]

Darcyboy as a[n] undergraduate student of psychology and philosophy would learn faster and broader if he spent his valuable time at university studying texts recommended and discussing psychology and philosophy with his tutor rather than wasting his time with a bunch of amateurs online.

You still assume that darcyboy, in spite of all he wrote in his introduction, knows nothing about subjects which he came to this forum to discuss!

[Belindi]

We here are real people , mostly elderly I guess, many of us parents. We should not in any way encourage young students to neglect their work in favour of time-consuming online discussions.

No doubt students are encouraged to discuss the material they are studying with their peers, and such discussions are a valuable learning method.
I'm all for students having fun, recreation, and breadth of experience. I do not encourage any student to rationalise time wasting extramural activities.True, a student of psychology may find useful raw material at Philosophy Club. However a student's time is too short for him to veer at length from what his professor has prescribed.

[Robert66]

Your assignment is overdue, darcyboy, and you have therefore ensured your failure. More importantly we must all, however grudgingly, concede that Belindi was likely correct in her brutal character assessment.

We must not forget exactly how vital Belindi's "gatekeeping" role is here at the Online Philosophy Club. Note I refer to gatekeeping and not some sentimental, modern nonsense idea like welcoming. As Belindi wrote:

'We should not in any way encourage young students to neglect their work in favour of time-consuming online discussions.'

So come back darcyboy when you are Darcyman, your ideas are stale, your opinions typical, all the books you will read have been read and discarded, and you are ready to engage in approved Club activities.

[Ecurb]

I just saw a list (I think in the Guardian, but I'm not sure) in which U. St. Andrews was ranked as the top University in the U.K., ahead of Cambridge and Oxford. That would be good news for my brother, who attended St. Andrews, and bad news for my nephew (a Cambridge grad.).

If darcyboy is borrowing his name from Fitzwilliam Darcy, scion of Pemberley and beloved of Elizabeth Bennet, then I'm on his side in this debate, as a fellow Janeite.