Why Study Philosophy?
The "unemployed, unemployable Philosophy major" is an old cliched figure, and is the butt of some pretty good jokes. It is true that very few people make their living as professional philosophers. It is also true that some of your coursework in Philosophy will seem abstract and impossibly far removed from more “practical”, day-to-day concerns. So -- why major in Philosophy at all? The first response is simply that many of the questions and concerns that we call “philosophical” have arisen in nearly every age and culture. Confronting those questions and concerns has occupied some of the best minds of those ages. By spending a significant amount of time engaging with their answers, and by developing and refining your own questions and answers, you can progress toward a rich and subtle understanding of the world and your place in it.
However, in addition to providing a solid understanding of others’ views, and perhaps a deeper appreciation of your own, a major in philosophy has other benefits. The serious study of philosophy can develop virtues such as courage, charity, and thoughtfulness, and strong skills in reasoning, analysis, and oral and written communication. Such virtues and skills will serve you well in a variety of paths -- not just “careers” -- after Guilford. Your choice of a major should not rest solely or primarily on a prediction of how lucrative a certain major is (or isn’t) likely to be. Philosophy, like most other disciplines in the Humanities, can prepare you quite well for a variety of occupations, some perhaps more lucrative than others. Below, we list some traditional fields, and some of the courses we offer that will be of particular interest to anyone interested in those fields. The list is necessarily incomplete -- it is illustrative, not exhaustive! One very good source of information on potential career opportunities for the philosophy major can be found at the: