Suggestions, Phil Dept important

ZekeMom
Fri, 22 Nov 2013 06:17:31 +0000

First, let me say: “Thank you all for your replies! It has been very helpful in giving me additional things to consider and research.”

I have been wanting to reply to each one of you specifically, and hope to be able to do so more thoroughly next week sometime. And ask more questions as well, lol. ;)

A few quick clarifications:

I had to go back and check what I wrote to make sure I hadn’t misstated his intended “career path,” and thankfully I said what I thought I had - though obviously I was unclear. When I say “teach,” I do not intend to suggest that his “back up plan” in to become a Professor. While I do not know the availability of teaching positions at a High School level for someone with a PhD in Philosophy, I am quite confident that he is more likely to make a living at SOME teaching job than as a published Philosopher.

I’ll also point out that my son is not at all overly idealistic with regards to a life lived on a low income! Of his 16 years of life, less than 2 have been lived above the “poverty line.” I’ve been very close to a couple of people who were accustomed to a certain level of prosperity from birth, and when financial difficulty hit them it was utterly devastating emotionally and psychologically. I am by no means ignoring the power of “financial security,” but I suppose I’ve concluded that my son “knows what he’s getting into.” And his determination to get through college without accumulating debt reinforces my ability to “let go” in this particular area of his life and future (not that I’d have any other choice in a couple years anyway, lol). In all honesty I am very proud of the young man he is becoming, and often amazed by his maturity. Poverty often creates a life-defining drive for material wealth and success; and I am truly grateful that the only piece of this I have ever observed in him is his desire to remain debt free.

Roughly in the same vein: I am very much aware of the fact that he will most likely change his mind regarding his intended educational and career paths. I am approaching this not so much - as I suppose I’ve come across - as how to make him most successful in his pursuit of becoming a Philosopher; but rather I want to ensure that he has reasonable access to the resources needed to do so if he “stays the course.” Which is why we aren’t focusing solely on the Phil Depts and seeking out THE BEST undergrad philosophy school (otherwise Reed would be at the top of his list rather than excluded). It’s also why there are multiple things desired of any possibility, because we both want him to go to a school that is - at the very least - solid in the areas that most interest him (those which are very real possibilities for his future focus). It seems silly for someone to knowingly choose to attend a school that would effectively destroy their chances of advancement in the very subject which they (currently) most desire - assuming of course that there are better options available.

With regard to what I mean by “‘hostile’ to Christianity,” I mean precisely that: hostile. I went to a small, private college which was proudly anti-christianity, and I know the hostility there was quite mild compared to many places. I consider it to be a hostile environment when professors - as a general rule - respond to learning that someone is a Christian by rolling their eyes or laughter. I consider a classroom environment to be “hostile” when mocking someone’s beliefs is acceptable, especially when the professor is the one doing the mocking. And I consider it “hostile to Christianity” when the only open discrimination tolerated is against Christianity.

I know I am missing a LOT here, but I do hope to have some time to sit down and reply properly in a few days!