4.0967 Responses: Student Career Chocies; Philosophy (3/46)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 31 Jan 91 16:28:41 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0967. Thursday, 31 Jan 1991.
(1) Date: Wed, 30 Jan 91 15:10:30 EST (13 lines)
From: William Crossgrove <WMCROSS@BROWNVM>
Subject: Re: 4.0957 Queries: ...Student Career Choices
(2) Date: Wed, 30 Jan 91 17:40:12 EST (6 lines)
From: Bernard_van't_Hul@ub.cc.umich.edu
Subject: Re: 4.0957 Queries: ...Student Career Choices
(3) Date: Thu, 31 Jan 91 15:45:30 GMT (27 lines)
From: stephen clark <AP01@liverpool.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Progress in Philosophy
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 91 15:10:30 EST
From: William Crossgrove <WMCROSS@BROWNVM>
Subject: Re: 4.0957 Queries: ...Student Career Choices
The report on student choices is presumably the annual report prepared
by Alexander W. Astin who has been conducting such a survey for 25 years.
There is an article on the report along with a fairly lengthy summary of
the findings in the Chronicle of Higher Education of January 30, 1991.
According to the article, copies of the report, entitled "The American
Freshman: National Norms for Fall 1990," are available for $19 each from
the Higher Education Research Institute, U.C.L.A., Graduate School of
Education, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
Bill Crossgrove
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------16----
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 91 17:40:12 EST
From: Bernard_van't_Hul@ub.cc.umich.edu
Subject: Re: 4.0957 Queries: ...Student Career Choices
The survey is accounted for in the NYTimes of Tuesday, January 29,
page A!@ (Outstate Edition).
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------39----
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 91 15:45:30 GMT
From: stephen clark <AP01@liverpool.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Progress in Philosophy
The suggestion was made in a recent mailing that if philosophers are
earning their pay there must be evidence of progress in philosophy. I
don't think this need be so, since there may well be some things or
practices taught by philosophers that need to be taught to every
generation: must there have been 'progress in e.g. the English
language' if those who teach that language are earning their pay?
And what would it be like?
As it happens, though, anyone acquainted with philosophy can point to
a great many cases of progress: i.e. to clarifications of arguments,
answers to arguments, exploration of newly discovered areas etc.
This includes ethical arguments.
This doesn't show that individual philosophers are necessarily good
moral guides, nor that an e-mail discussion between academics is
necessarily of a much higher standard than a conversation between
non-academics. I would hope that we could manage, between us, a
reasonable level of historical information, and philosophical sensitivity.
If we can't (and especially if we so quickly dissolve into mutual
insult) what indeed is the point of the academic life?
Stephen Clark
Liverpool University UK