aamcnamara (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aamcnamara) wrote2009-10-05 09:46 pm
aamcnamara) wrote2009-10-05 09:46 pm
Entry tags:
missives from beyond
By which I still mean college. Still not too much writing; intermittent sprinkles of it, which is enough for now in a busy life.
I am going to have to get out my camera one of these days, because my pocketwatch came today and it is awesome. I may not have mentioned it here before. If not, I got it because of my workstudy job, which requires me to sit in a rare book room and stare at books for hours and not get completely lost and forget to, say, go to class. Having a watch seemed like a good idea. I've never been one for wearing things on my wrists--just not my style--and, I mean, come on. Pocket watch! It arrived today. I immediately began showing it to everyone I know. I may have missed some people, but I will get to them. (That is a promise! Not a threat! I swear!)
(As a side note, both a geeky dance and Halloween are approaching. Given my pocket watch and potentially bringing my haircut into consideration, please suggest costumes.)
Very busy lately: week of the first papers. I had a sociology paper due and a physics test today, both of which went smoothly. I have a philosophy paper due tomorrow, which I am still sort of sidling up on--I have most of it, but it's still eluding me a little. Taking sociology and philosophy together is intriguing, and something I fully intend to write more about, one of these days.
One immediate contrast is that while writing a sociology essay mostly felt like writing a history essay (potentially I have been writing sociology essays all along, which would account for a few of the essay grades I got in high school), writing a philosophy essay doesn't really feel like anything else.
It's taken me several days to get this far; all I really need now is a lead-in to the conclusion, a conclusion, and another pass over it to check for logical inconsistencies, etc. Somehow, even though the rest of the essay is written, I can't come up with a way to get to the conclusion. Something's missing there, and I'm not sure how to find it.
On the other hand, I keep having to tell myself that I don't have to prove everything ever about philosophy in this 2-3 page paper. I keep having stylistic flights of fancy and half-quoting Dylan Thomas.
Does this mean that I should take more philosophy classes? Major in philosophy? Who knows. There are some things about it I don't like, or that I don't find enjoyable. There are some things about writing this essay that I don't find enjoyable. On the other hand, it's working my brain in ways my brain hasn't been worked before, which in my opinion can only be good.
I am going to have to get out my camera one of these days, because my pocketwatch came today and it is awesome. I may not have mentioned it here before. If not, I got it because of my workstudy job, which requires me to sit in a rare book room and stare at books for hours and not get completely lost and forget to, say, go to class. Having a watch seemed like a good idea. I've never been one for wearing things on my wrists--just not my style--and, I mean, come on. Pocket watch! It arrived today. I immediately began showing it to everyone I know. I may have missed some people, but I will get to them. (That is a promise! Not a threat! I swear!)
(As a side note, both a geeky dance and Halloween are approaching. Given my pocket watch and potentially bringing my haircut into consideration, please suggest costumes.)
Very busy lately: week of the first papers. I had a sociology paper due and a physics test today, both of which went smoothly. I have a philosophy paper due tomorrow, which I am still sort of sidling up on--I have most of it, but it's still eluding me a little. Taking sociology and philosophy together is intriguing, and something I fully intend to write more about, one of these days.
One immediate contrast is that while writing a sociology essay mostly felt like writing a history essay (potentially I have been writing sociology essays all along, which would account for a few of the essay grades I got in high school), writing a philosophy essay doesn't really feel like anything else.
It's taken me several days to get this far; all I really need now is a lead-in to the conclusion, a conclusion, and another pass over it to check for logical inconsistencies, etc. Somehow, even though the rest of the essay is written, I can't come up with a way to get to the conclusion. Something's missing there, and I'm not sure how to find it.
On the other hand, I keep having to tell myself that I don't have to prove everything ever about philosophy in this 2-3 page paper. I keep having stylistic flights of fancy and half-quoting Dylan Thomas.
Does this mean that I should take more philosophy classes? Major in philosophy? Who knows. There are some things about it I don't like, or that I don't find enjoyable. There are some things about writing this essay that I don't find enjoyable. On the other hand, it's working my brain in ways my brain hasn't been worked before, which in my opinion can only be good.
no subject
That reminds me, I really should get mine repaired. I never wear a watch either, but a good pocket watch is just spiffy.
I am also reminded of a Philosophy 101 class (ages ago) that I was almost kicked out of after class presentation about a proof for self-awareness in equines reared by Brooklyn jockeys, but then ended with a caution not to put Descartes before da horse.
no subject
*groan*
no subject
It occurred to me that you, being pretty undogmatic, might not want to seal the edges of a philosophical essay too closely, but being very good at creating structures, might not want a sort of loosely constructed finish. Dunno if that makes sense or is accurate, but there it is.
no subject
That does make sense, and likely is accurate. I can think of half a dozen ways to challenge the argument I made in the paper, and I want to address all of them; since I can, I assume my readers can (and will), too, and they won't be convinced if I don't at least give a token rebuttal to the most plausible few. But then, there's probably an infinite number of counter-arguments for every proposal imaginable, so I can never really win this kind of battle.