tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827886891184725821.post1767048089556878812..comments2023-05-15T01:08:31.241-07:00Comments on Philosophy Made Manifest: On Being an Amateur Academic — Part 2Marc Hamannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11526878435261617011noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827886891184725821.post-7476461276201404832011-11-02T06:14:33.105-07:002011-11-02T06:14:33.105-07:00I certainly agree that peers or supervisors can he...I certainly agree that peers or supervisors can help with this. But as an "academic" (Phd-student) who likes to combine topics that aren't often combined, I tend to discuss it more with 1 or 2 good friends who are interested in general intellectual discussions (even though they initially had practically no knowledge on the topic).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827886891184725821.post-78169642743110476422011-04-04T18:48:02.779-07:002011-04-04T18:48:02.779-07:00Online discussions can help with this but I find t...<i><br />Online discussions can help with this but I find that I'm more inclined to spend time face-to-face since textual back-and-forth can be tedious! <br /></i><br />This is definitely an advantage of the professional academic community: having peers you can discuss things with in the department, at conferences, etc., as well as advisors.Marc Hamannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11526878435261617011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827886891184725821.post-33092075985890228062011-04-04T13:54:23.181-07:002011-04-04T13:54:23.181-07:00Thanks for the tips! Yes, I must admit that it is ...Thanks for the tips! Yes, I must admit that it is often my patience that is at fault. I remain optimistic that this might improve with age ;)<br /><br />It also often seems that I have two modes: curiosity-driven vs goal-directed, where the first is the path to aimless enlightenment and the second is the path to blind productivity :P<br /><br />Occasionally I do think that the isolation of working alone sets you back though. I have entertained the thought that "if only someone had hinted at this 6 months ago during one of my rants I might have spent my time very differently!". (I.e. Difference between the internet and a real person is that the person will sometimes answer the question that you didn't think to ask). Online discussions can help with this but I find that I'm more inclined to spend time face-to-face since textual back-and-forth can be tedious!Rehno Lindequehttp://rehno.lindeque.name/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827886891184725821.post-72721914913022281632011-04-04T10:51:44.483-07:002011-04-04T10:51:44.483-07:00@Rehno: I think that in some ways high school and ...@Rehno: I think that in some ways high school and undergraduate education does us a disservice by making it seem as though all knowledge has a pre-set curriculum.<br /><br />To become an academic (amateur or professional), the ability to research (which basically means being able to find what you are looking for ;-)) is essential.<br /><br />Personally, I often find that the easiest way to get started in a field is to find a recommended and widely used textbook at the appropriate level (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) and start there. Good textbooks generally contextualize the history and relevance of the material, provide good key literature references, and typically are easier to read than papers. They also tend to provide exercises to test your understanding. <br /><br />Wikipedia, whatever faults it has, often lists common reference works in a field, and can be a good starting place as well.<br /><br />As with any skill, I think you get better at finding good info the more you do it. Finding the material can be half the fun. ;-)Marc Hamannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11526878435261617011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827886891184725821.post-27282353470413517002011-04-04T09:25:23.446-07:002011-04-04T09:25:23.446-07:00The greatest challenge for me I think is getting m...The greatest challenge for me I think is getting material at the right level of difficulty and explained in the context of my interests.<br /><br />Since there's no real roadmap or guidance on how to consume information on the internet I often find that I can't seem to make certain connections without spending an inordinate amount of time reading about other related topics.Rehno Lindequehttp://rehno.lindeque.name/noreply@blogger.com