studying with jay

hi everyone ! my name is jay !

when i first started this blog i was an undergraduate student studying philosophy, and now i can say that i am now a graduate student working toward my masters in philosophy !

wow it’s been a minute since i’ve posted here ! this semester has been brutal, so much has happened.

here is a collection of cafe pictures from the past two months !

I’ve just finished my first semester of my undergrad studying humanities, and I’m wondering how you’d respond to the type of people who say that arts/humanity degrees are “much easier than STEM”.

:)

hello ! first of all, major congrats on finishing your first semester !!

second, i’ve definitely heard this rhetoric before, and it can be incredibly frustrating. the arts and humanities are so important. unfortunately, sometimes you have to pick your battles, and there will always be people who will think a STEM degree is better or more useful or more difficult.

however !! i think the most important thing is to make sure YOU believe that what you are doing is worthwhile. if you can surround yourself with people and fellow students who see the value in all studies, no matter what field they may be in, it’s truly such a game changer !

additionally, i’m a huge advocate for interdisciplinary work, and i love learning from my friends in STEM ! some people will always have an arbitrary hierarchy about degrees and studies, but there are so many people who have a deep respect for other fields, and who enjoy engaging with people outside of their own discipline. STEM and humanities/arts often teach students to think about things differently from each other. working in a chemistry lab requires a different set of skills than analyzing literature. the skills you learn in one field can often compliment your work in a different subject, and they are all important skills !

at the end of the day, being able to study what you want to study is a monumental privilege and beautiful experience ! if you enjoy it and believe in yourself and what you are doing, you will find people who also believe in yourself, and will support your work ! i’ve found that trying to convince people who don’t see what i do as difficult or worthwhile that it actually is difficult and worthwhile, that i will always end up more upset at the end of the conversation.

hi !! this is such a great question, and here’s my two cents !

philosophy is so vast, which is one of the best things about it in my opinion ! generally, there are four super broad categories of philosophy, each concerned with different questions (though this division is controversial, but it can serve a purpose here):

1. metaphysics: the study of reality. deals with things like the existence of time, what is everything made of, etc.

2. epistemology: the study of knowledge. deals with questions like: what is knowledge? how do we get knowledge? etc.

3. logic: the study of (correct) reasoning and argumentation. symbolic logic is incredibly similar to geometry !

4. ethics: the study of right/wrong. ethics asks questions about the inherent goodness or badness of actions, and what it means to act justly.

5. aesthetics: aesthetics is not always considered one of the main categories, but i find it worth distinguishing ! aesthetics often asks questions about value judgments and is associated with art.

rather than starting out with a specific philosopher, i would figure out what questions you are interested in, and then start looking into those specific fields ! additionally, applied philosophy is becoming more popular, and there are books and articles about relating philosophy to TV shows, movies, books, even DnD !

the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy is online, free, and is a great resource that breaks down a lot of thinkers and concepts really well !

happy october !

i am enjoying the transition into fall, and settling into a routine with all my classes. i love being a TA, even when it takes up a lot of my time !