"Maths, in university, is useless bull..."

[Ben Kenobi]

I've taken Philosophy of Logic I and II as well.

And I can say, if you learned anything in these types of courses, you do not belong in university.

There is more to Philosophy than Logic.

I loved my ethics classes where all the science majors struggled, and the arts students sailed through.

Why should someone have to be taught how to reason? Where is the original thought when somebody instructs you on ridiculous constructs you "must" use?

When you have so many people believing in relativism, then yes, more people should be taught Logic.

The latter. Philosophy, save for the history of it, is not something that should be taught.

I can think of some good reasons to make certain philosophy courses mandatory for different professions. Ethics being the most important.

Is it any wonder why philosphers have become markedly less useful in the modern era? They're taught how to think and what to think, that sure as hell isn't what philosophy should be.

I have gotten more mileage out of my two philosophy courses than I have anything else in my degree.

So I don't consider them to be time wasted.

[Agathon]

Save your breath, Ben. You'd sooner be able to explain Quantum Mechanics to a chimpanzee.

[Kuciwalker]

When you have so many people believing in relativism, then yes, more people should be taught Logic.

You think relativism is illogical?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
I loved my ethics classes where all the science majors struggled, and the arts students sailed through.

Why should it surprise anyone that arts students succeed in the art of bull****?

They'll go on to be future liars and criminals, running our governments and deceiving the public. The scientists among us will go out and cure cancer and prolong the human lifespan and increase quality of life.

I have gotten more mileage out of my two philosophy courses than I have anything else in my degree.

So I don't consider them to be time wasted.

I do -- tell society what their money has done. You've used your philosophy courses and your degrees, to do manual labour? Society has invested tens of thousands of dollars on you and your education, and you squandered it with a degree and courseload that can get you a construction job.

Prime example.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Buck Birdseed
(KH, tell me the most complicated maths used regularly in computer science and I'll tell you if I did it in high school. Not that it really matters, apparently my counterglow leg-pull has spilt over into a Really Big Humourless Apolyton Debateâ„¢, which means it's no longer fun. Thanks Asher. )

It depends on the speciality.

Typically, anything you can find under the generic heading of "algebra."

[Kuciwalker]

(Which happens to be significantly larger than the algebra usually taught in high school.)

[Urban Ranger]

Quite obviously, I thought

[Fve Crathva]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
I can think of some good reasons to make certain philosophy courses mandatory for different professions. Ethics being the most important.

And a technical writing course should be mandatory for all philosophers.

SP

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
I can think of some good reasons to make certain philosophy courses mandatory for different professions. Ethics being the most important.

Because of course without a college course in ethics we're all just amoral beings drifting through life...

[notyoueither]

It's sort of funny that after Enron, Tyco, Iraq, Clinton, Rather, blah, blah, blah, people would be questioning the benefit of teaching more people that ethics is an actual word in the English language, let alone teaching them about what appropriate ethics are.

[Asher]

Originally posted by notyoueither
It's sort of funny that after Enron, Tyco, Iraq, Clinton, Rather, blah, blah, blah, people would be questioning the benefit of teaching more people that ethics is an actual word in the English language, let alone teaching them about what appropriate ethics are.

Ethics should not be taught in a classroom...

You think the people behind the Enron scandal didn't know what they did was "unethical"? They sure as hell did. Did they care? No. Would teaching them about ethics change anything? No.

[notyoueither]

Yes, of course, Asher. Everything you ever needed to know about the world was taught to you by mommy.

Maybe you overestimate the calibre of the average Joe? Maybe you think that everyone is the perfect human being that you are based on upbringing and a HS diploma?

Perhaps it baffles you that people go to university for reasons other than you have. Perhaps it baffles you that society expects universities to churn out better citizens, not just good technicians.

[Asher]

It baffles me that you honestly think if the people behind Enron went to an "ethics class", the Enron thing wouldn't have happened...

It baffles me that you think people actually need to be taught that cooking your books is wrong, and that's why we need philosophy classes...

It baffles me that you'd stoop to such a pathetic argument.

[notyoueither]

Perhaps the problem with Enron, and other 'problems', is that not enough people paid enough attention to ethics. Maybe someone would have blown the whistle earlier. Certainly not the 'owners', but maybe those who were required to cooperate to carry it along. You know, like that bookkeeper who eventually raised the alarm.

I don't see how teaching the subject could hurt.

[Asher]

I don't see how it could help, because I honestly have trouble seeing why anyone would not know what they did is not ethical.

I also think if someone does think what they did was ethical, that a philosophy prof telling them otherwise wouldn't change their mind.