Why Study Philosophy?

There are lots of reasons to study philosophy. One is that doing so will help you address “Big Questions” that we all ask ourselves but often don’t know how to even begin to answer, including: 

• Do we have free will?
• What is it live a good life? 
• What does morality require of us? 
• What is the nature and extent of knowledge?
• What is the nature of reality? 
• How do our minds relate to our bodies?  

Another is that studying philosophy will show you how to respond to criticism of your views in a way that centers not on defensiveness or fear but rather on a willingness to state and to examine your reasons.

Many well-known people from diverse fields began their careers in philosophy. Studying philosophy makes people better thinkers, and philosophy majors develop marketable and transferable skills for any career that involves thinking, talking, or writing. They tend to earn more over their lifetime than people with degrees in any other humanities field. Among the humanities and social sciences, philosophy has one of the lowest unemployment rates. Philosophy majors are well positioned for graduate study — they earn high GRE, LSAT, and GMAT scores compared to other majors.