Why Study Philosophy?

Individuals, as well as society, must answer questions regarding what it means to be human. Philosophy enables us to understand the ideas that shape the way we live and the way we see ourselves, and it helps us formulate answers to these questions for the future.

In addition, philosophy develops our ability to:

• think clearly and critically
• express ourselves persuasively
• see many sides of an argument
• see the logical implications of a claim or series of claims
• use evidence to construct plausible explanations and sound arguments
• detect bad reasoning, ambiguity, vagueness, inconsistency, and other weaknesses in arguments
• distinguish different types of questions or claims and respond to them appropriately
• distinguish what is relevant to a given issue from what is not
• see ways in which an argument or explanation could be improved

The skills and knowledge gained from studying philosophy will help you to:

• be a better student of other subjects, especially related ones in such fields as politics, history, theology, law, education, mathematics, computer science, etc.
• be a more effective thinker and communicator in everyday life.
• get a job, and do well at it. Philosophical training provides an excellent base for many careers and employers in many fields value philosophical skills.
• teach philosophy to others.