Korean Job Discussion Forums

cassette_tape · Joined: 17 Dec 2007

this is my first serious attempt at a dave's esl forum post, so forgive me if i do not patronize the typical etiquette.

anyway i have been in seoul for just over a month and i have been teaching lower level adults. this means i have had to adjust my vocabulary and usage to an almost elementary level; no abstract thoughts, no philosophy, no contemplating. 2 days ago i met someone who has a knack for political theory and philosophy and during our conversation i felt myself struggle to find words which were so easy to access just few months ago. as the saying goes "practice makes perfect" and i have been out of practice for a little while with this new job.

the reason for this post is a call out to anyone who enjoys philosophy or political science on an informal level. i wish to have regular conversations about contemporary and not so contemporary topics in this area and i was wondering if anyone also has had the same dilemma and wishes to just discuss theory over a beer or some coffee.

i do not wish do show off or have a sort of intellectual, masturbatory (dave's *beep* not my own) show down; i just want to speak with someone who is interested in philosophy and political theory.

recently i have been reading up on the existentialists like satre and nietzsche and i have a growing fascination for post-modern theory along with ancient greek philosophy.

anyway if anyone wishes to get together or knows of some sort of seoul philosophy group, let me know at michaeljoakley (at) gmail (dot) com.

that is all.

chaz47 · Joined: 11 Sep 2003

I totally sympathize with you. I'm not in Seoul though. Check out the Current Events forum here and see if anyone bites.

pesawattahi · Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:35 am Post subject:

Take up Korean to shore up your vocabulary and maybe have a few good conversations with your students using Konglish.

cassette_tape · Joined: 17 Dec 2007

i will be taking up korean soon, but the point is to not loose my english vocabulary in the process. plus i am not sure if i will be able to discuss marxist theory with students.

VanIslander · Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:45 am Post subject:

pesawattahi · Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 4:38 am Post subject:

I'm not to sure if they will be to keen on Marxist theory. I hear the are north of the border though. If you really want to make friends just stand up in the middle of class and say "cho sun min ju ju wi in min kong hwa guk sarang hae" and you are sure to receive a round of applause for bieng able to master a long sentance like that so quickly.

Komichi · Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Location: Piano Street, Seoul

If the Greeks invented democracy, what is it?

prsman · Joined: 21 Nov 2007

I'll be in Seoul in a month and would love to talk philosophy with you. I am currently reading a "political philosophy" book by Bertrand Russell. I know, I know, Bertrand Russell and political philosophy? That's what intrigued me, and as it turns out I am really enjoying the read. It's called "Has man a future?"

Bryan · Joined: 29 Oct 2007

Juregen · Joined: 30 May 2006

Does he mean barstool philosophy?

Justin Hale · Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Location: the Straight Talk Express

Start a philosophy thread in the offtopic forum in the meantime. I'm of the opinion empiricists draw an arbitrary, imaginary line between the physical objects of sense perception and the abstract objects of 'abstract entity perception'. Abstract entities enjoy, I submit, just as much of a mind-independent existence as the physical world. For me, there's no tension at all between being an atheist and being an abstract entity realist. The notion that only things with a spatio-temporal location are mind-independent things is erroneous and arbitrarily biased towards sensory perception. Our knowledge of abstract phenomena such as math and music is as detailed and true as our knowledge of the physical world.

VanIslander · Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:53 pm Post subject:

Cheonmunka · Joined: 04 Jun 2004

Let's try this in layman's terms:

"...empiricists draw an arbitrary, imaginary line between the physical objects of sense perception and the abstract objects of 'abstract entity perception'. Abstract entities enjoy, I submit, just as much of a mind-independent existence as the physical world."

I too reckon that there's something out there as well as what we can see and touch.

"For me, there's no tension at all between being an atheist and being an abstract entity realist. The notion that only things with a spatio-temporal location are mind-independent things is erroneous and arbitrarily biased towards sensory perception. "

I reckon that things we can't see can easily seem real to us.

"Our knowledge of abstract phenomena such as math and music is as detailed and true as our knowledge of the physical world."

Our knowledge of abstract phenomena such as math and music is as detailed and true as our knowledge of the physical world.

Beautiful sentence. Who wrote it?

[/quote]

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

actually I feel your pain.

I lived in Korea for four years and I noticed that upon my return to New Zealand some of my higher-level oral communication skills weren't as good as they used to be. Everyone seemed to talk really fast and I didn't have a chance to formulate my thoughts before someone would cut me off.

So yes, getting a group up and talking is a very good idea.

Bryan · Joined: 29 Oct 2007

^ Toastmasters is one of the best solutions for that, although you don't focus on conversation. There are Toastmasters clubs in Seoul