The French. You have to admire them - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

jonhenley.bsky.social • 21 days ago

The French. You have to admire them

Here is this year's philosophy entrance exam for "Normale", the school at France's academic pinnacle.

"You owe"

Candidates have six hours

Use of calculators is not allowed.

Comments

samanthasearrings.bsky.social•20 days ago

A tad transactional?

catiomiles.bsky.social•20 days ago

On the contrary

feelingantsy.bsky.social•20 days ago

I’d be tempted to answer

“Pourquoi?”

And leave.

I wonder how they’d grade it?

mortimorestef.bsky.social•20 days ago

that's a famous story about our B level, le Bac, the philosophy question was : what is the nerve ? According to the legend one student answer was : the nerve is that, and leave his copy blank and go.

feelingantsy.bsky.social•20 days ago

😂

feelingantsy.bsky.social•20 days ago

How very death and taxes

johnw60.bsky.social•20 days ago

You must remember this a test is just a test.

exrevtony.bsky.social•20 days ago

"The fundamental things apply," though.
This IS Philoshophy.

johnw60.bsky.social•20 days ago

Philo Shopy? Must everything be commercialised ?

exrevtony.bsky.social•20 days ago

🤣🤣😳

exrevtony.bsky.social•20 days ago

Blame the wishky.

mortimorestef.bsky.social•20 days ago

no, impossible the guy is probably not secretary of defense of actual american governement.

samdeane.bsky.social•21 days ago

That's Monsieur's oldest this year - he's in the middle of this nonsense, aiming for Polytechnique...

chrishopkins.bsky.social•21 days ago

We do this as well - All Souls fellowship exam is similar.

(This does seem to be aimed lower than exceptional graduates/post grads.)

betterbert.bsky.social•20 days ago

Counterpoint: this sort of thing encourages their worst tendencies

danielkatz.bsky.social•21 days ago

"You must" would be the primary sense they're expecting a response to.

stevenhseggie.bsky.social•21 days ago

I think you and Stanley are both missing the point of the question.

alanbeattie.bsky.social•21 days ago

jrowanbxl.bsky.social•21 days ago

"If democracy is a bra, then the monarchy are breasts"

alanbeattie.bsky.social•21 days ago

When stuck in traffic (and I hate driving in any case) the great wisdom of "When I drive my car, I am not driving - I am participating in a conspiracy called 'traffic'" inevitably comes to mind as a genuinely profound insight.

jrowanbxl.bsky.social•20 days ago

Oh yes. A whole generation with chronic Day Today Brain.

stevenhseggie.bsky.social•21 days ago

My poor daughter is looking forward to not having French in terminale the year after next, little does she know what awaits her in philosophy

stevenhseggie.bsky.social•21 days ago

Although part of your answer could be that the most important essence is you must. But you’d have to justify it. I think (and this is second hand from having a kid in French schooling) that …. Ah fuck it, this is why I always loved/hated philosophy.

thomasv.bsky.social•20 days ago

Interesting question. Sartre would argue that you always have a choice. So must, you do not 🤷‍♂️

hhesterm.bsky.social•21 days ago

Although - here me out - I love thinking that the topic actually is ‘l’usage de la calculatrice n’est pas autorisé’

feelingantsy.bsky.social•20 days ago

I think I’ve found my spirit animal ⬆️

stevenhseggie.bsky.social•21 days ago

My head is already screwed with the question and now you’ve added this. I’m sure you could write that answer

abbyinnes.bsky.social•20 days ago

Phew! I could actually try that one! 🤔

stevenhseggie.bsky.social•20 days ago

We could try but it would be ultimately futile

timoconnorbl.bsky.social•21 days ago

“Pire qu’un crime, c’est un faut”…?

judah-grunstein.bsky.social•21 days ago

It's particularly pointed given that it's a mandatory exam that they can also walk away from at will.

judah-grunstein.bsky.social•21 days ago

Also, I wonder if the use of a calculator for a philosophy question was prohibited before the advent AI chatbots.

jeremyhead.com•20 days ago

You owe or you must?

chelmi95.bsky.social•12 days ago

You must.
And 'Normale sup' too.

jeremyhead.com•12 days ago

Normale sup ?

chelmi95.bsky.social•12 days ago

That’s what people commonly call the École normale supérieure for short in everyday language.

chelmi95.bsky.social•12 days ago

Not just 'normale'. I know, nitpicking, typical French 😉

jeremyhead.com•12 days ago

Ah! D'accord 👍

luxechronicles.bsky.social•21 days ago

I owe, therefore I am.

johnw60.bsky.social•20 days ago

I owe I owe it’s off to work I go.

luxechronicles.bsky.social•20 days ago

“Money makes the world go round, the world go round, the world go round.”

mortimorestef.bsky.social•20 days ago

not you owe, you must. Forget it ,Normale is the school for the lunatic who pays themselves a huge amount of money for a huge amount of privileges but tells us we shall reduce social spent. Our debt is 300 billions euro, calculator should be aloud in philosophy too with these morons

mortimorestef.bsky.social•20 days ago

sorry, france debt : 3000 billions euros, and they have to find 40 billions

chelmi95.bsky.social•12 days ago

That's what "Grandes écoles" are about: elitism, exclusivity, brains stuffed with knowledge but disconnected from the everyday realities faced by ordinary people.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply