An entry in which the author proposes another justification for his indolence
Meditations on Work and Play, As Applied to University and Life
Cross-posted to UPenn Community
I'm 18 minutes passed a self-imposed start-working deadline.
Everyone seems to be following this trend of organising the day into autocratic segments of work and leisure. There's no sense to it! Is there any law more easy to break than one imposed by yourself unto yourself?
My problem is that I am afraid to work. Whenever I sit down and open one of my books I am beset by pure fear and dread that however much I toil I won't produce enough to raise my grade, or whatever my goal might be. I am always afraid that I'll study the wrong chapter, or do problems which won't be on the midterm, or write a paper which doesn't answer the TAs question! This happened to me so much in high school that now I've accidentally built that fear into myself.
I blame it on David Hume. He does an excellent job of negating any certain belief you might have in the truths of cause of effect. To the average unaware human being, their observance of the past teaches them to infer things about the future, many of which they will be quite sure about. If you're playing billiards, you not only have a belief that your white ball will collide with whichever ball you are aiming for and compel it to move -- you are certain of it. The same goes for such simple day to day activities as eating food, which you know from past experience will nourish you and end your hunger, and avoiding flame.
This is the reason why people spend hours studying for their quizzes and midterms. Ever since the initial vocabulary quiz in 2nd grade, most students understand that if they dedicated their time to reviewing information learned in class, they will be prepared to answer questions put forth by the professor in a test.
My brain fails to work that way. As many of you may remember from my essay on time and Zeno's paradox, discovering some basic philosophical truths has lead me into some dark corners of failure, caused by my applying some of what I read in too pragmatic a way.
I can no longer be certain that studying will produce improved marks. I have repeatedly tried to convince myself that the knowledge I am acquiring while studying is the correct and relevant one necessary to pass the upcoming test, but I can never fully exterminate the nagging doubt which sits in a corner of my mind, growing louder and more obstreperous as I advance in my studying.
"So you studied last year and got a good grade, that means absolutely nothing. For all you know, the mid term might consist of 100 questions on the anatomy of Belgian elephants. Look at Hume! He's right! Attempting to use induction to make predictions about the future is a totally circular argument! Use your time in a more productive way, by addressing an issue of which you are certain, an issue which exists in the present or past and of whose existence you have no doubt. Studying is for those who fail to grasp the impossibility of prediction."
Of course, you can argue, like the famous Joseph Butler conjecture -- "Probability is the guide of all life.", that since it is most probable that the midterm will pertain to information in the chapters dictated by the professor, I should adhere to what is probable and study said chapters.
But, I remember the feeling of having studied the incorrect material, and it is one of the worst I have ever experienced. I would rather not have studied, and know that I had a well-spent 4 or 5 hours of Snood or AIM or ping-pong, than realise the amount of time I wasted on idle studying from which I reaped absolutely nothing.
High is my logic. Low is my GPA.
Cross-posted to UPenn Community
I'm 18 minutes passed a self-imposed start-working deadline.
Everyone seems to be following this trend of organising the day into autocratic segments of work and leisure. There's no sense to it! Is there any law more easy to break than one imposed by yourself unto yourself?
My problem is that I am afraid to work. Whenever I sit down and open one of my books I am beset by pure fear and dread that however much I toil I won't produce enough to raise my grade, or whatever my goal might be. I am always afraid that I'll study the wrong chapter, or do problems which won't be on the midterm, or write a paper which doesn't answer the TAs question! This happened to me so much in high school that now I've accidentally built that fear into myself.
I blame it on David Hume. He does an excellent job of negating any certain belief you might have in the truths of cause of effect. To the average unaware human being, their observance of the past teaches them to infer things about the future, many of which they will be quite sure about. If you're playing billiards, you not only have a belief that your white ball will collide with whichever ball you are aiming for and compel it to move -- you are certain of it. The same goes for such simple day to day activities as eating food, which you know from past experience will nourish you and end your hunger, and avoiding flame.
This is the reason why people spend hours studying for their quizzes and midterms. Ever since the initial vocabulary quiz in 2nd grade, most students understand that if they dedicated their time to reviewing information learned in class, they will be prepared to answer questions put forth by the professor in a test.
My brain fails to work that way. As many of you may remember from my essay on time and Zeno's paradox, discovering some basic philosophical truths has lead me into some dark corners of failure, caused by my applying some of what I read in too pragmatic a way.
I can no longer be certain that studying will produce improved marks. I have repeatedly tried to convince myself that the knowledge I am acquiring while studying is the correct and relevant one necessary to pass the upcoming test, but I can never fully exterminate the nagging doubt which sits in a corner of my mind, growing louder and more obstreperous as I advance in my studying.
"So you studied last year and got a good grade, that means absolutely nothing. For all you know, the mid term might consist of 100 questions on the anatomy of Belgian elephants. Look at Hume! He's right! Attempting to use induction to make predictions about the future is a totally circular argument! Use your time in a more productive way, by addressing an issue of which you are certain, an issue which exists in the present or past and of whose existence you have no doubt. Studying is for those who fail to grasp the impossibility of prediction."
Of course, you can argue, like the famous Joseph Butler conjecture -- "Probability is the guide of all life.", that since it is most probable that the midterm will pertain to information in the chapters dictated by the professor, I should adhere to what is probable and study said chapters.
But, I remember the feeling of having studied the incorrect material, and it is one of the worst I have ever experienced. I would rather not have studied, and know that I had a well-spent 4 or 5 hours of Snood or AIM or ping-pong, than realise the amount of time I wasted on idle studying from which I reaped absolutely nothing.
High is my logic. Low is my GPA.