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A Case For Majoring In Philosophy

POST WRITTEN BY
Travis Chamberlain
This article is more than 7 years old.

Every year, college students choose their majors with an eye toward the return on investment. Among the usual lucrative suspects like finance and engineering, one liberal arts field stands out: philosophy. It turns out that philosophy majors earn significantly more than most majors, especially over the long term, as Bourree Lam writes in his recent article in The Atlantic. Beyond finances, the study of philosophy can also help students learn for themselves how they define the good life and how to go about living it.

The surprisingly robust ROI for philosophy majors can be traced to its intellectual rigor. Philosophers are taught to seek out the pressure points in arguments and to reason for themselves. They dive into highly technical conversations, construct their own positions and arguments, and analyze relevant problems from multiple perspectives.

Though every collegiate philosophy department has its own flavor and set of emphases, the discipline of philosophy fosters individual expression. It is no wonder then, that philosophers are comfortable in the courtroom, control room, or boardroom. They are trained in public expression and mental discipline, both crucial skills for managers, executives, lawyers, and leaders.

This is not to argue that similar training is not incorporated into a STEM emphasis; it certainly is, but STEM fields follow a more hierarchical model foregoing the creative assessment of rules and perspectives. While a good philosopher recognizes and can adhere to rules (arguments must be structured, after all), she is comfortable in the presence of diverse perspectives and is not afraid to give her own.

Outside of money and ROI, philosophy can give students an answer to the ever loaded question, “What do I want to do with my life?”

My philosophy journey started in the military, went overseas and landed in the USA in the form of a doctoral focus on public policy and applied ethics. In retrospect, I realize, before my journey started, I was missing something. I was missing the means of locating who I am and the answer to that pressing question, “What do you want to do with your life?”.

I found my answer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this journey needs to be taken by all; for some, existential questions are simply so much wasted energy, while others worry that they challenge the contemporary social order. For those who see self-realization as a waste of time, more practical immediate concerns may overwhelm the impulse. Fair enough. Yet across all cultures, religions, and walks of life, the practice of seeking increased awareness is cherished. I don’t merely allude to libertarian self-empowerment or similar myopic forms of awakening; awareness in this sense implies awareness of both self and others.

Regarding the second concern, consider this: philosophy teaches a person to engage not with the superficial symptoms of surrounding society, but, like a good MD, to consider the deeper history and structural causes.

I’m thankful for my journey in philosophy and all that it has given me. I have the means to recognize vacuous arguments for what they are, have located who I am, what I wanted to do with my life, and looking at the statistics I am in for a good return on my investment. A philosophy might just be one of the secret gems in the academia world.