Thread 24638582

If you've studied philosophy and dont know either Ancient Greek, Latin or even German, wtf are you doing with your life?

>>24638582 (OP)
It’s not my fault we have so many polished translations with extensive footnotes to hold your hand nowadays. It’s like making fun of someone for not knowing how to drive manual.

>>24638582 (OP)
On real philosophy syllabi there are only two philosophers who wrote in Latin in the top 100, and they are way, way down the list. There are also only two who wrote in Greek, although they are at least high on the list. No other Greek has more than the most marginal of presence.

German would at least make a bit more sense. French would make more sense though, since Foucault, Derrida, and Deleuze are pretty huge across all fields.

The image of philosophy as involving Greek and Latin is wholly outdated. Daniel Dennett or David Chalmers is more popular than Aquinas or Augustine. Start with the Americans.

>>24638582 (OP)
>If you've studied philosophy, wtf are you doing with your life?

if you enjoy the beauty of language in any form and don't know latin, wtf are you doing with your life?

There's wanting to study the historical progression of philosophy vs studying philosophy itself. Learning Latin or Greek just to read the original works in their own native tongue is not that worthwhile - the ideas have been translated into English. It's just that those people get credit for officially thinking of certain things first. Reading and understanding the original language does not actually add much significant to your understanding of the concept they're talking about.
For example, everything in my post can be pretty much accurately translated to another language.

>>24638604
>only two philosophers who wrote in Latin in the top 100, and they are way, way down the list.
Descartes at 4

Why would you need to read ancient texts? Physicists don't read Newton's principia at all, let alone in the original Latin. We've had centuries to settle on notation and terminology and refine how the ideas are presented.

Reading Plato in the original Greek or whatever is purely an exercise in literature, not philosophy.

>>24638625
Fair enough, since the Meditations is pretty commonly assigned, although the Discourse on the Method is in French. But let's be real, no one says to learn Latin to read Descartes.

>>24638582 (OP)
well I double majored in philosophy and electrical engineering and now work at a factory while very very VERY occasionally thinking about Heidegger and David Lewis

>>24638582 (OP)
Jerking off to pics of your mom

damn only plebs left in /lit/

>>24638582 (OP)
english is the superior language and I don't want to degrade my thoughts by allowing a lesser language in

learning ancient greek is infinitely a better use of time than for example reading your 7th dostojewski novel or your favorite nobody author from wisconsin CMV

>>24638851
Nah, not really. Presocratics besides Heraclitus are too primitive to really care about and the fiction has only marginal appeal to those already into it.

>>24638854
>theres people who actually think like this
the Neanderthals are still living among us

>>24638864
The Greek playwrights and Homer are fine but I feel I got enough out of them from translation and that learning another language isn’t necessary, and I certainly don’t need to learn another language to discover “everything is made of water” as Thales said.

>>24638604
Kys retard

Nothing is necessary. If you’re constantly harping on about necessity it’s a good sign you’re a slavebrained retard and deserve to be made fun of by frogchads like OP.

>>24638920
>“everything is made of water” as Thales said.
He didn't say that, that's what anyone's talking about!!

>>24638939
>25. Thales Determines that Water is the Source of Everything - The ...Yes, Thales of Miletus famously proposed that water is the fundamental substance of all things. He considered water as the "arche," the origin and underlying principle of everything in the universe.

Literally all the Ionians are like that. They’re a primitive waste of time mostly. Even the Eleatics who are somewhat more advanced in comparison, are still ancient. Zeno is known only for being btfo by Aristotle for instance. Greek knowledge isn’t worth learning a language to seek it out but you do you

>>24638582 (OP)
I know English.

Latin and greek are fun but you threw in German to be edgy.

>>24638920
I know very well what you mean by having enough from translated Homer et al. I know in translation they can be seen as pointless or longwinded. But reading in its original can really be insightful and makes more sense, hell i was reading aristophanes the other day and saw some camus god level absurdism in his prose. English just ruins the very beauty of the text in magnitude levels.

You forgot French. It is my opinion that unless you are a serious researcher of certain thinkers who publishes, its enough to read the translations

If I can't come across the same thought in English, then it was a figment of language that has no bearing on the world.
Thoughts that transcend time and language are the ones worth focusing on, not obscure greek phrasings and philological masturbation

>>24638604
Nigger, if your philosophy list has a single American in it, then it is not a philosophy list anymore kek

>>24638582 (OP)
I agree Ancient Greek, Latin, German are absolute must for a current student of philosophy, but familiarity with French and English and even Italian should be in there as well. If you have a focus on some other language philosopher you could perhaps skip those 3.

>>24641078
You, of all people would think that