Undergraduate Education in Philosophy
Education in philosophy is essential to the realization of basic professional, personal, and cultural goals and values.
First, the study of philosophy delivers remarkably practical preparation for a successful career or profession. Studies over the past few decades consistently have provided evidence of this fact. For example, philosophy majors outscore almost all other students on graduate and professional school admissions tests, including the LSAT, the GMAT, and the MCAT. Moreover after graduation, philosophy majors secure employment at high rates. Employers do realize that in an increasingly competitive, international, technologically innovative marketplace, successful workers must be able to think clearly, communicate effectively, and imaginatively interpret and critically evaluate complex, changing relationships and the assumptions that underlie them.
While philosophy does provide useful preparation for a career, it provides even more important preparation for life. Although philosophy constitutes an extensive body of knowledge (some of which is written into notebooks each term by students seeking the "right answers"), this is not its core. Instead, the heart of philosophy is the power to illuminate and enlarge our understanding of who we are, increase our choices of who we meaningfully might become, and expand our abilities to attain the goals we choose. Philosophy provides the wisdom and skills necessary for individuals to do this—and so fully become individuals.
Philosophy develops wisdom and skills vital not only for the improvement of individual life, but also for the enrichment of culture, the realization of societal ideals, and the creation of community. This view of the humanities as a crucial cultural resource is not new, of course. It is deeply embedded in democratic and pluralistic traditions, even where the ideals of these traditions have not been realized. As self-government, democracy requires citizens who can act with self-awareness and understanding of others, face the future with imagination and vision, and participate effectively in the cultural practices and institutions that affect their lives. Self-government, however, requires selves—individuals who understand themselves and their situation, creatively choose from among alternatives, and realize such choice in active participation in community life. Philosophical education is the development of these abilities—it is self-development and the development of genuine community.
Undergraduate
Philosophy Major
Philosophy Minor
Department
Course Descriptions
Undergraduate Officer
