Many students struggle through at least one core course on their way to a degree. But it’s much harder for the virtus to gaudet when, instead of listening to the tenured professor whose class you paid to take, you spend 15 minutes subjected to a sophomore’s rambling, verbal magnum opus.

There’s a place to debunk Descartes or work out the philosophical implications of treating mathematics as a language, and it’s not a 50-minute lecture. It’s called office hours.

Professors hold office hours for a reason. Most of them love students who wander in with random musings and connections.

But your fellow classmates, who are just trying to get something out of Philosophy 105, do not love your eight-part questions. It’s easier to learn from the professor employed by the college, not the student who learned what the Trolley Problem variant was in the previous night’s reading. 

If a core class makes you excited, that’s great. They’re all part of our liberal education for a reason. Exploring connections between Logic and Rhetoric and American Heritage can help you make the most of these required classes.

At the same time, respect your classmates and your professors. Just because you’re interested in the spiritual ramifications of a multiverse doesn’t mean everyone is. It takes a great deal of arrogance to assume that your digressive musings are beneficial for everyone else. Stealing 10 minutes of limited class time disrupts the professor’s syllabus and prevents him or her from explaining important information.

As a general rule: If your question takes six sentences and involves three disciplines, ask it on your own time in office hours. You’ll get the deep conversation you want, and your classmates will get the lecture they paid for.