Unfortunately, this experience matches my experience in the critical theory class in grad school. Interesting ideas that entered and immediately exited my brain.
The ancients paid attention to how shall we live, but these modern philosophers were exploring the cutting edge esoteric problems of their discipline. The theories are stimulating, but it’s difficult to follow their intricacies in a cursory summary.
In all, good enough to figure out that it’s not worth pursuing further.
My philosophical interests are pedestrian. I lose interest once I see intellectual scaffolding under construction. I tried that hobby as a Calvinist teenager, but I’ve realized the beauty of Christianity is in the Beatitudes, not in its palaces of theology.
Same here for the philosophers. I should return to Greeks, their squabbles are much more enticing.