Why is Philosophy the source of all academic disciplines?
The word philosophy literally means “Love of Wisdom”. It is this love and wonder that elicits new ideas that can have a profound impact on humanity.
We Examine…
Philosophy Encourages Reflection
- Do we know anything?
- How can we know?
- What sustains belief in absolute right or wrong?
- How can I know myself?
- What happens when such core beliefs are revealed as false or are changed?
- Is there a God?
- What is thinking, and are we doing it?
- What are the limits of the scientific method?
- Can we be sure of our beliefs?
Philosophy encourages students to explore questions that challenge their ideas and beliefs. It gives students an opportunity to reflect on topics that are often oversimplified by general society and traditional educational disciplines.
If you are planning to go to graduate school, you should know that students who earn an undergraduate degree in philosophy score higher on standardized professional and graduate school admissions tests (LSAT, GRE, and GMAT) than graduates who have studied any other discipline in the humanities and sciences.
If you decide to study philosophy, you can expect to be asked “What can you do with philosophy?”
Most people attend college because they want to get a well paying job. Often, degree choices are made based on a student’s career plans. The value of a degree is increasingly based on what you can do with it.
So, what can you do with philosophy?
Everything! It is a different form of education – education for its own sake.
Does this mean that you will be unemployable after college?
Not at all! Philosophy gives people an opportunity to develop abilities that are extremely important to many employers. An employer can train a person how to do a job, but they can’t train a person to think through problems and find solutions, analyze different forms of information, summarize complicated material, write clearly and effectively, or elicit hidden assumptions. These are all things philosophy teaches you.