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A bit of good news for me!


Maximius

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I'm very happy to announce that I have just received permission to attend a 500 level philosophy course with a professor I've worked with in the past. Let me explain a bit about why this is a big deal for me. The program I am enrolled in is a masters degree program but its not a concentrated masters on one discipline, the quick way to explain this is its a masters degree that I cannot teach with. I conduct research and write papers but its not time enough in one topic to qualify for a full masters.

 

But I don't care about that, I'm in the program because if you get permission from an instructor, and I >just< did, you can take actual full credit graduate courses in the actual departments of the discipline you want. This means that although I will not be a regular graduate student in the PhD program (they don't offer an M.A. in philosophy), I will be taking that level of coursework, preliminary stuff to be sure but an actual, real live graduate course in philosophy of science from UPenn.

 

This is something I have been working towards for about seven years now. When I started working in philosophy I pledged to myself that I would make it to a top ten program, and now Im stepping through the door of that goal. Not quite there yet, but a hell of a lot closer. I've taken this prof before and he likes my work, he just offered his enthusiastic permission for me to join the group. Upon successful completion, and nothing short of an A will be successful to be honest, a number of doors that were formerly closed to me as a student will be opened.

 

I can apply to any school of philosophy in the world, not yet directly to a PhD program but to some kind of graduate work that will get me in the door towards a PhD. I mean any school at all. I can most certainly apply to Penns PhD program and stand a fair chance of acceptance, after I get rejected a couple of times and take the GREs too. Taking this class doesn't guarantee a thing, but it give me a real decent shot, it moves me up as a serious contender with the thousands of much more educationally privileged students I have to contend with for possible PhD slots. I went to an un-prestigious state school and I started late, Im fighting with kids who went to private kindergarten classes that taught them French and Spanish, who have come out of Stanford and Brown and Tufts. But once I take this class, I will have cemented proof of my actual ability to do this level of work and that counts for a lot.

 

So I'm very happy! Mike Weisberg is an up and coming philosopher of science and he wants me in his class. Its not my main area of concentration but I've done some good work in it and Im dying to get at this material. yay! :laugh:

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That sounds like a big break. Primarily because I simply know that we don't see lots of philosopher's offices like we see lots of doctor's offices, so I'm thinking it must be a hard position to get into. Which is made more impressive by your "under priveleged" background. :)

 

Thanks Dom. :)

Jobs are really, really scarce, thats why I had to try to make it into a good program or otherwise you are wasting your time. I still have tons and tons of work to do but this is a big step in the right direction.

 

Congratulations! :) I don't understand that much of the technicallities, because I don't know enough of your school and university system, but it still sounds good. :)

 

Do you have any publications that one can look into?

 

Thanks sparhawk, its very good news, basically this class will give me the academic standing to take harder courses and after a lot of other work to eventually apply to a top level PhD program. I do not have any publications yet worth mentioning, thats another big goal in the next few years, to get my research project in decent enough shape to submit it for publication. But I would be happy to let you read the paper, once I get busy cleaning it up, another professor just tore the bulk of its to shreds so I have to patch it up first.

Edited by Maximius
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Congrats, this now coming from someone that has more of a philosophy background.

 

I studied undergrad philosophy at UTexas, and law at NYU, although very much law and philosophy oriented. I have to decide myself whether I'll go for the philosophy PhD or be content with where I've gotten myself. I enjoy writing law papers ... but I have to admit it's tempting to live in two worlds doing both law and philosophy projects ... in which case, I'd have to concentrate in political/moral philosophy to make it work, although my background is more in philosophy of mind, but I don't mind. I didn't even try to get into NYU's very competitive program at the time. But I couldn't pass up the chance to stock up on as many phil courses there as I could through law school ... highlights being Tom Nagel's Moral Phil and Dworkin's Law and Phil seminar.

 

UPenn is a good school, part of that pocket of good schools around NYC, NJ and Philly.

 

Philosophy of science is an interesting track to start with, too. The only two names I've really read are Feyerabend, who I enjoy reading - I like his against-the-grain spirit - but seem more influenced in figuring out what I disagree with him, and Popper, who I've been much more influenced by (except for his philosophy of mind, which is just archaic). I remember feeling gratified to get a feel for how Popper's philosophy of science is related to his political philosophy.

 

These days my bent in phil of science is a reading of Dennet by Don Ross. It'll be nice to hear some of your ideas as you start reading for this class. I have an anthology of phil of science, but have to admit it's not my strongest area (that's why I got the book, because I don't have much background in it).

 

Keep us up to date with how it goes.

Edited by demagogue

What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you but I know that it's mine.

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Congrats, there are definitely times when I miss academia and the associated lifestyle. Especially the cool, interesting, memorable classes that stick with you. Whenever I feel tempted or too much longing though, I recall graduate chem and just how much more it sucked than undergrad, and it sobers me right up. :laugh:

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On what area of philosophy are you focussing? I'm very interested in stuff about consciousness, mind, and such issues.

 

My paper project is on free will, I describe a version of a free will that is compatible with a deterministic universe. Specifically, I defend Harry Frankfurt's hierarchy of desires against certain attacks, criticize certain claims of his, and then take my arguments against a few other philosophers in a second part. Let me rewrite the first piece and I'll pass it on to you guys.

 

Congrats, there are definitely times when I miss academia and the associated lifestyle. Especially the cool, interesting, memorable classes that stick with you. Whenever I feel tempted or too much longing though, I recall graduate chem and just how much more it sucked than undergrad, and it sobers me right up. :laugh:

 

Thanks man, Im sure Im in for a real shock in the next few months. I am going so far as to take Team Fortress Classic off of my computer at the end of August, its going to be philo of sci and Blender until the end of December.

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Congrats, this now coming from someone that has more of a philosophy background.

 

I studied undergrad philosophy at UTexas, and law at NYU, although very much law and philosophy oriented. I have to decide myself whether I'll go for the philosophy PhD or be content with where I've gotten myself. I enjoy writing law papers ... but I have to admit it's tempting to live in two worlds doing both law and philosophy projects ... in which case, I'd have to concentrate in political/moral philosophy to make it work, although my background is more in philosophy of mind, but I don't mind. I didn't even try to get into NYU's very competitive program at the time. But I couldn't pass up the chance to stock up on as many phil courses there as I could through law school ... highlights being Tom Nagel's Moral Phil and Dworkin's Law and Phil seminar.

 

Thanks Dem, its been a long time coming. I wish I had something as practical as a law degree under my belt. Whats your area of specialization? I've never really delved into legal studies beyond an article or two.

 

I'll be perfectly honest, if I make it into the PhD program some happy day, and that is in no way guaranteed at this point, there is a good chance I would only stick around long enough to pick up an M.A. Although they don't offer an MA up front, if you complete two years and a preliminary thesis and have to leave the program you get an MA. Then I can work anywhere as a associate prof and move into another PhD program with relative ease.

 

Thats my short long term goal, if things go differently I may actually try to finish the PhD but thats nuts these days, I dont particularly want to be a PhD in philo and the academic world is a hellishly political and competitive place. The MA would do me nicely for my personal goals, great on the resume, personally satisfying, and easily upgradeable at will. Another idea is to use this class to apply to one of Penns few MA programs elsewhere in the uni outside of philo but related. This is as much a networking strategy as an academic venture, as you are no doubt aware from your own experiences. It will be nice to finally have some options available.

 

Philosophy of science is an interesting track to start with, too. The only two names I've really read are Feyerabend, who I enjoy reading - I like his against-the-grain spirit - but seem more influenced in figuring out what I disagree with him, and Popper, who I've been much more influenced by (except for his philosophy of mind, which is just archaic). I remember feeling gratified to get a feel for how Popper's philosophy of science is related to his political philosophy.

 

These days my bent in phil of science is a reading of Dennet by Don Ross. It'll be nice to hear some of your ideas as you start reading for this class. I have an anthology of phil of science, but have to admit it's not my strongest area (that's why I got the book, because I don't have much background in it).

 

Keep us up to date with how it goes.

 

With pleasure. I'm quite new to philo of science myself, I had one undergraduate course and one advanced course and I liked them a lot. But I know that at some point my free will work and this will come together, so it can only help there as well.

 

This prof is great, I took an Evolution and Altruism seminar with him a year or so back and it was a great time, he has a razor sharp mind and is funny and cool to boot. Believe me, you can bump into some real flesh eating dragons for professors around that place, another young professor I work with tells me they don't even return her emails or calls and shes faculty. This guy is way different, none of the holier than thou crap. We all got tanked after the semester was over with his graduate cadre and hes not afraid to slide over to the pub across the street after class once in a while either. My kind of guy!

 

The class I'll be taking is called Modeling and Idealization. It examines what scientific models are and how they relate to the real world. There are problems inherent in the fact that those models contain idealizations of the world, not absolute knowledge of it. So what does that means for ideas such as confirmation of facts and how we explain reality? Furthermore, are there justifications of using such models despite these drawbacks? Perhaps we can do no better so they will have to do, or is there a better way to go about this?

(There, I've cribbed the course guide nicely.)

 

I am unfamiliar with most of the people you have mentioned, as I am also with the people who I have to read this semester, I'm just now noticing, oh lordy its a lot of reading. But I have a bit of contact with Popper, one for his falsifiability work and two for his critique of Marx.

 

I've never read this critique, I just know he wrote it and its considered by some to be a fatal attack on some of Marx's central claims. I also know of counterclaims but not much. Something to look into in the future.

Edited by Maximius
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You always prove to be an extreeeemely knowledgeable and intriguing person, so all I can say about this break of your's is: "It's about f&%*ing time" :D

 

Maybe you could solve the Iraq situation using Hume's 'is-ought' problem.

Loose BOWELS are the first sign of THE CHOLERA MORBUS!
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My paper project is on free will, I describe a version of a free will that is compatible with a deterministic universe. Specifically, I defend Harry Frankfurt's hierarchy of desires against certain attacks, criticize certain claims of his, and then take my arguments against a few other philosophers in a second part. Let me rewrite the first piece and I'll pass it on to you guys.

 

Yes, this is the stuff that I'm intersted in. Don't know if I will understand an academic paper on that issue, but it still could be interesting. :)

When I started to read "Consciousness explained" from Denett, I had to start three times over because I could read it. Though I was much younger when I first tried it, so I fancy that I might do better now. :)

For me this was one of the best theories on consciousness IMO, because it is based on evolution and determinism, instead of some physics that is a thin veiled substitute for god, as Penrose usually tries to defend.

 

BTW: What's an "MA"?

Gerhard

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Yes, this is the stuff that I'm intersted in. Don't know if I will understand an academic paper on that issue, but it still could be interesting. :)

When I started to read "Consciousness explained" from Denett, I had to start three times over because I could read it. Though I was much younger when I first tried it, so I fancy that I might do better now. :)

For me this was one of the best theories on consciousness IMO, because it is based on evolution and determinism, instead of some physics that is a thin veiled substitute for god, as Penrose usually tries to defend.

 

BTW: What's an "MA"?

 

 

MA stands for Masters of Arts, as opposed to a Masters of Science. My program offers an MLA, a Masters of Liberal Arts, or as I have named it a Masters, Light in the Ass. Its a masters degree, but I cannot teach with it. The US higher ed system is something like this, and its helpful to bear in mind that US schools are deeply segregated from one another in terms of resources and the will to network with one another. There are Tier 1 schools, supposedly the best but thats highly debatable, Tier 2 schools which are good schools but not prestigious or wealthy enough to control the best employees and resources, and Tier 3, the standard state university or smaller poorer schools. These are not official designations AFAIK, its just how people describe them here. Another way to divide the schools, one that cuts across the Tier structure more so, is into research institutions and teaching institutions. Research institutions still teach and vice versa, but its a matter of degree. Generally, the research institutions are the far more elite and privileged. These divisions are taken pretty seriously, although there is not a lot of reality to back up the appearance of differences. For example, here in Philly UPenn has strong relationships with Drexel, so thats a Tier 1 school that has strong ties with a Tier 2 school with a Tier 1 engineering/technical sciences reputation. Different Tiers but both are research institutions. But UPenn does not share nearly as many of its resources with Temple University, although Temple is huge and influential in the state, its only a Tier 2 and its primarily a teaching insitution. I remember being amazed at Penns library when I found I could access the databases of Oxford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Tufts, Cambridge, Drexel a few blocks away, but not Temple two miles away or any of the state schools either. Typical elitist horseshit, what school would not benefit from such a network of scholars and resources? But thats the way it works here.

 

AA or AS associates of arts/science, 2 year degree, usually community colleges. Arts include the arts/humanitites, sciences are the hard and soft sciences, although in the soft sciences I think you can sometimes end up with an science degree with more labs or an arts degree with less labs and other courses.

 

BA or BS bachelors of arts/sciences, 4 year degree, sometimes building on an AA/AS sometimes straight through

 

MLA masters of liberal arts, 2 years, sometimes called an "advanced" degree, a non-teaching masters, there are many variations, Penn has for example a Masters of Urban Spatial Studies and a Masters of Applied Positive Psychology, you could get an MLA in a language as well, the main point is you cannot teach with it. THese are far less commonly sought degrees than full MA/MSs, the reason being is that if you don't get one from a reputable school, its nearly worthless beyond personal enjoyment of learning.

 

MA or MS masters of arts/sciences, 2 years of graduate work, then you can actually teach college courses with this degree, this includes degrees like MBAs, masters of business admin, or as I like to say Mostly Bullshit Anyway, Masters of Fine Arts, masters degrees are probably the most sought after graduate degree, actually more useful in many instances than a PhD.

 

PhD Doctorate of Philosophy in Whatever, biology, medieval poetry, ballet, cuisine, there are also many variations, including what some are calling PhD lite, which is a kind of doctorate but not as extensively researched, titled for example "Doctorate of Engineering or ED", but notice without the Philosophy part, which others dismiss as fake PhDs.

 

This is probably not 100% correct but its basically so I think.

 

 

Dennet was conceptually important to my work as well, Elbow Room provided great models for consciousness that has you noted are deterministic and with a basis in evolutionary science/biology. My paper is not that difficult to understand, well it is right now but Ive been told to pare it down and streamline my discussion so that should make it more approachable. I've never messed with Penrose, most of the other free will discussions I've read are those who attack Frankfurt, such as Ekstrom, Kane, Van Inwagen, and a few others who escape me.

Edited by Maximius
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