Mr. R. said something very interesting this week:
NEVER AFFIRM, SELDOM DENY, ALWAYS DISTINGUISH.
Evidently it's a well-known T.A.C. tutor maxim. I've never heard it (or at least never fully registered it) until this year. It explains a lot about these men who form my mind . . . especially as regards Mr. R., my freshman philosophy tutor.
*Flashback to my first Don Rag*
Mr. R.: "Miss H. is a very interesting girl. Although she is wrong more often than anyone else in her class, I admire her ability to speak up no matter how serious her state of error of confusion may be. Really - I mean that as a compliment! Most people would not have that kind of persistence."
Now, Mr. R. did also say that my confusion had decreased since the dawn of Aristotle (up to that point we had been reading Plato, who I neither understood nor cared for), and he said that if I were going to be confused on philosophy it was better to be confused on Plato, so I didn't end up crying in the end. But, somehow, I still had a hard time taking the "Miss H. is wrong more often than anyone else in her class . . . " comment as a flattering statement. :)
Nevertheless, I think I'm going to needlepoint this maxim onto a pillow for our couch.
It's a good conversation starter, no?
This week has been fairly difficult for me. I've had a capability to focus ranking at about -20 (if any presumptious classmate wants to argue in my comments about the existence of negative numbers in act I want to warn them: I know where you sleep - every last one of you.), thinking of the future and how wonderful it will be. On top of that ititial distraction I've been trying to read Kant - an author I've never been able to understand while I was reading him. (Fortunately Mr. O. understood him, though, and explained him in seminar so that I won't die from a heart attack during my seminar final. I can just see Mr. S. looking down on my dead body with intellectual disgust. *shiver* How can someone be so cute and yet so, so . . . cruel?).
Then, while I was grappling with the Kant reading I took a break to go visit my thesis advisor, Mr. B., who handed me a pile of reading on Husserl. "Noooooooo!!!!" Okay - I must say writing a thesis arguing against an author whom the tutors claim they don't understand at all (and who I'm not even slated to read for seminar until after my thesis is DUE)- - this is not a happy state of affairs. I'll read the material but I think I'm going to suggest an alternative approach to my thesis. I'm supported in this by Mr. W., my academic advisor, who was very practical and helpful on the matter, thank goodness. With Mr. W., as my practical guide and Mr. B. as my think-tank things are looking up . . . I think. . . . maybe . . .
I'm going to have to read a pile of thesis research material, Kant, and Emma this weekend, while also getting together a group for the L.O.M. curia meeting, and helping my class with the Sr./Freshman Beach Party and Dance.
I hope I survive, that's all I can say.
Much love to everyone. Hope everything is going well.
My love, I will call you SOON - honest.
Emily
NEVER AFFIRM, SELDOM DENY, ALWAYS DISTINGUISH.
Evidently it's a well-known T.A.C. tutor maxim. I've never heard it (or at least never fully registered it) until this year. It explains a lot about these men who form my mind . . . especially as regards Mr. R., my freshman philosophy tutor.
*Flashback to my first Don Rag*
Mr. R.: "Miss H. is a very interesting girl. Although she is wrong more often than anyone else in her class, I admire her ability to speak up no matter how serious her state of error of confusion may be. Really - I mean that as a compliment! Most people would not have that kind of persistence."
Now, Mr. R. did also say that my confusion had decreased since the dawn of Aristotle (up to that point we had been reading Plato, who I neither understood nor cared for), and he said that if I were going to be confused on philosophy it was better to be confused on Plato, so I didn't end up crying in the end. But, somehow, I still had a hard time taking the "Miss H. is wrong more often than anyone else in her class . . . " comment as a flattering statement. :)
Nevertheless, I think I'm going to needlepoint this maxim onto a pillow for our couch.
It's a good conversation starter, no?
This week has been fairly difficult for me. I've had a capability to focus ranking at about -20 (if any presumptious classmate wants to argue in my comments about the existence of negative numbers in act I want to warn them: I know where you sleep - every last one of you.), thinking of the future and how wonderful it will be. On top of that ititial distraction I've been trying to read Kant - an author I've never been able to understand while I was reading him. (Fortunately Mr. O. understood him, though, and explained him in seminar so that I won't die from a heart attack during my seminar final. I can just see Mr. S. looking down on my dead body with intellectual disgust. *shiver* How can someone be so cute and yet so, so . . . cruel?).
Then, while I was grappling with the Kant reading I took a break to go visit my thesis advisor, Mr. B., who handed me a pile of reading on Husserl. "Noooooooo!!!!" Okay - I must say writing a thesis arguing against an author whom the tutors claim they don't understand at all (and who I'm not even slated to read for seminar until after my thesis is DUE)- - this is not a happy state of affairs. I'll read the material but I think I'm going to suggest an alternative approach to my thesis. I'm supported in this by Mr. W., my academic advisor, who was very practical and helpful on the matter, thank goodness. With Mr. W., as my practical guide and Mr. B. as my think-tank things are looking up . . . I think. . . . maybe . . .
I'm going to have to read a pile of thesis research material, Kant, and Emma this weekend, while also getting together a group for the L.O.M. curia meeting, and helping my class with the Sr./Freshman Beach Party and Dance.
I hope I survive, that's all I can say.
Much love to everyone. Hope everything is going well.
My love, I will call you SOON - honest.
Emily
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