STUDENTS’ VOICE

A Philosophy Major Is an Investment in Your Future

Don’t let others steer you away from what could be an incredible intellectual journey.

Trust me, I’ve been asked numerous times throughout my college career why I would ever pay tuition for a philosophy degree. People would assure me that there was no way I would find employment with only a theoretical background in a period that needs more and more individuals in STEM fields.

However, I’m here to tell you that if you are considering philosophy as a major, it really is worth your time.

I had two passions right out of high school that I knew I wanted to pursue: political science and philosophy. To avoid too much harsh judgment from my parents or friends, I entered Ohio State as only a political science major. It may not rake in the big bucks, but people readily associate political science with career positions in government, administration and the law.

It wasn’t as crazy to hear.

My sophomore year, I added philosophy as a double major and only casually brought it up in conversation to my parents and friends. I was interested in philosophy, and I also knew that students in this discipline scored extremely well on their LSAT’s.

The stigma surrounding philosophy is no joke. This May, I graduated with around 300 other students in political science, but only 22 students in philosophy.

Philosophy, I admit, does not immediately bring practical applications to the forefront of our minds. Yet, the skills you acquire throughout this major are as practical as they come: analytical reasoning, comprehension of complex texts, writing and substantive argumentation.

First, I want to cover some of the misconceptions that surround philosophy and what kind of work is done in the field. I want to convince you that you can market yourself with a philosophy degree, but its best to understand what you are (and are not) getting yourself into. Here are 3 myths I’ve heard before:

Myth 1: Philosophy is just your opinion.

The essays you will write in your philosophy classes are your opinion, of course. But they aren’t just your opinion. Just like in other disciplines, your work must provide evidence for the claims you make. The most common undergraduate mistake is taking hard-hitting positions against or in defense of a particular scholar by merely stating the position and not arguing for it.

Most of the time, the essays you write will not require the same kind of extensive works cited pages many have grown accustomed to when they write research essays. Usually, you will only be required to cite the primary source to which you are responding. I even had professors demand there be no secondary sources present at all!

However, some students believe that the relaxed works cited requirement means that they don’t have to argue thoroughly for their claims. The hard part of philosophy is that you are coming up with your own objections and defenses of other prominent philosophical claims. You have to compile a reasonable and original response.

Myth 2: Philosophy is mostly about morals.

Not at all! If you are interested in morality, then sure, there are tons of options for you to pursue in the philosophy of ethics, religion, and action.

But there are all kinds of philosophical concerns you could focus on that have less to do with morality. There are large branches of philosophy dedicated to different questions:

Metaphysics — “What is reality, substance, time and space?”

Epistemology — “How can I have knowledge of x? Can I have justified belief that x is true?”

Logic — A systemic evaluation of logical inference, “Can the truth of these premises guarantee the truth of the conclusion?”

Political Theory — “What is justice and freedom?”

These just scratch the surface of what there is to learn in this field, and there is something for everyone.

Myth 3: Philosophy is easy, because nothing can be proven true or false.

Similar to Myth 1, I’ve heard some say that since most of what you write is based in conceptual accounts of abstract entities and ideas, nothing can be proven true or false.

While abstract concepts may take longer to understand, they also are routinely shown to have faults by some measure. If those faults are interpreted as detrimental to your overall conclusion, you can bet your peers and teachers will regard it as false.

You can always counter them, but this is by no means easy. It’s much easier to raise an objection to a theory than to offer an airtight one yourself.

Now that we’ve dispelled some of these misconceptions, I want to briefly highlight why philosophy can make you a better thinker for the rest of your life.

1. It makes you a better reader.

The texts you are required to read are long and complex. Moreover, philosophers in academia write to other philosophers in academia, not to undergraduate students. Experts are writing to their peers in that each paper should be considered an on-going dialogue between them.

So, it takes a lot of training and class time to understand what exactly each person is trying to say in their work. Once you break into the rhythm and get a sense for taking away only the most important aspects of a piece, you become a more efficient reader in general.

2. It makes you a better writer.

Philosophy majors are likely required to take a type of gateway seminar where you are taught how to construct your own essays. Aside from the expected correct use of grammar and organization, writing your own objection to a philosophical text is different than other kinds of writing.

It’s all about clearly representing your views without grandiose attempts to sound like the most intellectual person on the subject. Once you become proficient in this kind of writing, you learn how to clearly represent your views on complex issues in a colloquial manner.

3. It makes you consider issues you take for granted.

I always wanted to dig deeper into the manifestation of consciousness and how the human mind is structured. I had all kinds of questions that I got to ask and hear informative responses to (but of course not all of my questions led to satisfying answers).

There aren’t many other times in your life that you will have the time to consider the nature of consciousness or the relation between mind and body. This is your time to do so as well as get quality feedback from academics.

4. It makes you a better arguer.

Quality philosophical work is structured in premise-conclusion form. When you take courses in logic, you learn how some common forms of argumentation are actually flawed.

For instance, consider this argument:

Premise 1: If it is snowing outside, then my car will be wet.

Premise 2: My car is wet.

Conclusion: It snowed outside.

Sounds fine, right? Nope, this example represents the fallacy of affirming the consequent. We’ve affirmed that the consequent “my car will be wet” of Premise 1 by restating in the conclusion.

This doesn’t work. Although this argument could be true, there could be other reasons that my car is wet that does not necessitate it having snowed. It could have rained, or someone may have washed my car.

A valid form of the argument goes like this:

Premise 1: If it is snowing outside, then my car will be wet.

Premise 2: It snowed outside.

Conclusion: My car is wet.

Understanding formal argumentation is beneficial to just about any career choice you make, and you’ll get more than enough practice in the major.

5. It’s a practical choice.

I am not merely suggesting that the skills learned through an education in philosophy should make you feel better about your potential income. You pay is important.

But what if I said philosophy pays way more than you ever thought?

Aside from being top performers on the LSAT and GRE, philosophy undergraduates that go into the workforce can expect to make anywhere from $37,000-$83,000 a year.

The U.S. Department of Labor also notes that there are a multitude of roles philosophy majors decide to work in. Making this choice doesn’t limit your options, it only expands them.

My advice is simple: If you want to study philosophy, do it. If you have the time, add it as a double major. I know individuals who have added philosophy to all kinds of other disciplines — from economics to neuroscience.

I don’t regret my decision at all, and I don’t think you will either.