Comments on: Overheard

By: Martin James

Martin James — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 21:32:37 +0000

My favorite Sociology quip is Ortega y Gasset referring to Comte and saying hundreds of pages about society but no definition of what society is.

Also apt was his explanaiton of the origin of society, that is that the primordial response to the recognition that other thinking organisms exist is fear.

By: Jacob Christensen

Jacob Christensen — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 18:31:06 +0000

As someone (no, not one of the CT crew) asked me kindly in a mail: Here are ze German originals – they are from a small volume called “Schnipsel”:

Soziologie ist der Missbrauch einer zu diesen Zweck erfundenen Terminologie.

and

Die Soziologie definiert seit ihrem Bestehen ununterbrochen sich selbst.

So #2 should probably be

As long as it has existed, Sociology has been busy defining itself.

A case of Autopoiesis before Luhmann?

By: Jacob Christensen

Jacob Christensen — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:58:46 +0000

Two mischievous quotes about sociology by Kurt Tucholsky (translated from German and from my memory)

1. Sociology is the systematic misuse of a terminology invented for that purpose.

2. Since its invention, sociology has been redefining itself constantly.

Mr. T has one of two quips about economists and lawyers as well – but unfortunately none about political scientists. It seems that we are not worth laughing at. The German originals are from a little book with Tucholsky-quotes I bought years ago.

By: butwhatif

butwhatif — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 13:11:26 +0000

International Relations, anyone? (After all, it’s never been kosher polisci.)

By: magistra

magistra — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 09:07:49 +0000

When I say I’m a medieval historian, I’m expected to know about everything that happened anywhere in Europe through to about 1800. Even though I am an early medievalist (working on the ninth century AD), I try to resist resorting too often to the put-down ‘Sorry, not my millennium’.

Still this is better than when I was doing my first degree in mathematics. The modal response then was for people to say ‘Oh I was no good at maths at school’ and then edge away from me. I don’t know if there are any other subjects where educated people are happy or even proud to say ‘I know nothing about this’, but it says all you need to know about the two cultures.

By: kim

kim — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:44:40 +0000

Someday, I’d like to overcome my upbringing enough to answer “marine biologist.” (I’m not one, of course, but I do happen to think this was one of the better Seinfeld episodes.)

By: Redleg

Redleg — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 19:22:10 +0000

When people ask what I teach at university, I tell them I teach organizational behavior. After a few seconds of silence they usually respond, “I could use some organization around my house.”

Now I simply tell them I am a management professor. That usually puts an end to the small talk.

By: David

David — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:23:44 +0000

6, 10, 11—http://www.society-for-philosophy-in-practice.org/

By: David

David — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:21:07 +0000

I was once in Anatolia, in the early 80s, and was having a chat with a Turkish fellow who was being hospitable. “What do you do?” he asked, and he misheard my answer—“I’m an economist”—as “I’m a communist.” I was barely able to prevent him from fleeing so I could correct his misunderstanding!

By: Doug T

Doug T — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 14:26:59 +0000

“he would use philosophy to counsel troubled people. It did not quite work out; he now works in a corporate HR department.”

I smell synergy.

By: The Modesto Kid

The Modesto Kid — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 14:05:29 +0000

6—a friend of mine got his doctorate in philosophy intending to go into business as a “philosophical therapist”—he would use philosophy to counsel troubled people. It did not quite work out; he now works in a corporate HR department.

By: Doug

Doug — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:08:48 +0000

7: To which the inevitable answer is “If you’re so rich, why aren’t you smart?”

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 06:24:37 +0000

This person seems to have it backwards, since I’d always heard that, just as people become psychiatrists because they hate themselves, they become sociologiest because they hate society.

By: John Quiggin

John Quiggin — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 04:39:03 +0000

Then there’s Deirdre McCloskey’s question about economists “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich”.

By: John Holbo

John Holbo — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 04:36:24 +0000

In graduate school – while taking French – I once confided in a fellow student that I wondered whether I would ever manage to get a job in my field. She commiserated with me: oh, well, philosophy is probably good preparation if you want to go on to do something ‘analytic’ – like psychology.