Why Study Philosophy
Philosophy means “love of wisdom.” Philosophers study big questions—What is truth? Does God exist? Do we have free will? Can machines think? What’s the best form of government? How should we make moral judgments?—and gives you the tools not only to try to answer those questions, but also to have a successful career and a fulfilling life.
Philosophy teaches crucial skills for life and work. In philosophy, you learn critical thinking - how to think clearly and rationally, how to be reflective and use independent judgment. And you learn excellent written and verbal communication and develop your reading and public speaking skills.
You learn moral and ethical reasoning, so that you can make good choices in your career and throughout your life. And you learn to analyze and understand arguments and assertions so you can recognize and critique bad arguments and develop better ones.
In philosophy, you’ll also learn to understand and fairly consider others worldviews, helping you to work across differences and engage with people of all backgrounds and experiences.
These are just a few of the skills philosophy teaches—skills that will help you excel in any career, adapt to a changing world, and find fulfillment in other areas of your life as well.
Career
On average, people change jobs more than once every three years. That's a lot of change. To weather that change and succeed in a dynamic world, you'll need to be able to quickly grasp and understand new situations and if there is one thing philosophy students do well, it's learn new things. The data backs this up: the average mid-career salary for philosophy students is nearly $85,000. See also: What Can I Do with a Philosophy Minor?
Graduate Study
If you're considering going on to graduate school, law school, or an MBA program, a philosophy minor will serve you well. First, philosophy students rank #1 on the LSAT (law school admissions exam) and GRE (graduate school admissions exam), and #4 on the the GMAT (MBA program admissions exam). But beyond that, students with a background in philosophy will be well-prepared to engage in the difficult reading, writing, and reasoning that's required of graduate students.
