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1. Philosophy involves your thinking through some of life's biggest and most interesting questions
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• Are you in control of the choices you make? (Metaphysics)
• What duties do you have towards your friends? Your parents? Your country? Strangers? (Ethics)
• Does the way the world seems match up with objective reality? (Theory of Knowledge)
• Is social media bad for society? (Computers, Ethics, & Society)
• What kind of government should we have? (Social & Political Philosophy)
• Does flirting count as cheating? (Philosophy of Sex)
• Is science TRUE, true, “true,” or none of the above? (Philosophy of Science)
• What’s going on in your dog’s head? (Philosophy of Cognitive Science)
• What (if anything) makes you the same person as your childhood self? (Metaphysics)
• Is flopping in basketball and soccer unethical? (Philosophy of Sport)
• Do you have a duty to obey unjust laws? (Philosophy of Law)
• What is gender? (Topics in Feminist Philosophy)
• What’s the difference between good and bad arguments? (Logic & Critical Thinking)
• When a patient is terminally ill and comatose, who should decide whether to let “nature take its course”? (Ethics in the Healthcare Professions)
• Is a hotdog a sandwich? (Metaphysics)
• What makes art ART? (Aesthetics)
• Is Thanos really the good guy? (Ethics)
• How do you know that you know what you think you know? (Theory of Knowledge)
• How should you live your life? What would make your life count as a good one? Is it pleasure? Being moral? Money? Inner peace? Achievement? Love? Power? Helping your family? Should you “Seize the Day!” or “stop and smell the roses”? Should you donate your kidney to a stranger? Work on Wall Street? Join a monastery? Do you know what’s good for you? Does it depend on what you want? Is it the same for everyone? (You only get one life, so make it a good one...if you know what that is.) (Ethics)
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2. Philosophy makes you smarter
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Philosophy helps you uncover assumptions, anticipate implications, see the big picture, and think outside the box. It develops your abstract, analytical, and systematic reasoning skills. Philosophy makes you better at arguing for your views (and winning debates at the Thanksgiving table).
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3. Majoring in philosophy pays off (perhaps surprisingly) well in jobs & salaries
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“Philosophy majors graduate with strong problem-solving, critical thinking and writing skills that apply to a wide range of professions.” (U.S. News & World Report)
“[Philosophy majors] acquire general abilities that can be applied in many careers to evaluate information, understand other people, and come up with creative solutions. Unlike some majors that prepare you to do a single, specific job, philosophy is for people who realize that the job market of the future is likely to change and that strong critical thinking skills and adaptability are essential for future success…Philosophy majors develop valuable career skills, such as reading and understanding complex materials, making logical arguments, explaining ideas clearly in oral and written form, and thinking about things from multiple perspectives.” (University of Southern Mississippi)
“…when it comes to earnings for people who only have undergraduate degrees, philosophy majors have the fourth-highest median earnings, $81,200 per year, out-ranking business and chemistry majors, according to the ETS. Bar none, philosophy majors have the highest salary growth trajectory from entry to mid-career.” (FiveThirtyEight.com)
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4. Majoring in philosophy is great preparation for grad school
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Philosophy majors do well on entrance exams for graduate and professional schools. According to a study by the National Institute of Education they have:
• The highest GRE verbal reasoning score of ANY major
• The highest GRE analytical writing score of ANY major
• The highest GRE quantitative score of any humanities or arts major
• The 2nd highest LSAT (law school) score of any major
• Higher scores than business majors on the GMAT (Graduate Business Exam)
