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Any advice about a major in philosophy?
- Thread starter Yaoman
- Start date
I'm in the same situation you are; I'll be thinking about majoring in philosophy next year too. I'm planning on also double majoring in econ, which I think at least helps with making sure you have viable future career options, so I guess I'd ask if you had any idea of what you'd be interested in doing.
I don't think I could really give you any advice, but I think that I'd like to hear what other people have to say, since I'm doing the same thing.
I don't think I could really give you any advice, but I think that I'd like to hear what other people have to say, since I'm doing the same thing.
My brother has a masters in philosphy. He has reached the pinnacle of the job market for this career path as well; he is the buyer for the university book store and has maxed out at like 22/hour.
If you're going to do it, make damn sure you get a PhD so at least you can teach the next generation as a job option.
If you're going to do it, make damn sure you get a PhD so at least you can teach the next generation as a job option.
Couple it with a major (but not a minor) in Mathematics, Physics, or even Computer Science (particularly if you're interested in Artificial Intelligence). They go well together, but are geared towards a specific branch of philosophy, namely Analytic Philosophy (the one that I am interested in and the one that has dominated Western thought for the past 50 years). You'd also have something tangible for the job market (especially if you take Computer Science).
If you hate doing anything Math related (and most people who consider Philosophy majors unfortunately do), then do as Morm suggested and get a damn Phd if you want a decent job (even then you'll have to be a spectacular student). But really, it will be an infinitely rewarding experience if you couple your Philosophy major with something Math related.
You might also consider Law School after your undergrad in Philosophy, if your distaste for Mathematics is unwavering. A lot of Philosophy majors take that route, since it's the only practical route for a pure Philosophy major.
Hope that helped!
If you hate doing anything Math related (and most people who consider Philosophy majors unfortunately do), then do as Morm suggested and get a damn Phd if you want a decent job (even then you'll have to be a spectacular student). But really, it will be an infinitely rewarding experience if you couple your Philosophy major with something Math related.
You might also consider Law School after your undergrad in Philosophy, if your distaste for Mathematics is unwavering. A lot of Philosophy majors take that route, since it's the only practical route for a pure Philosophy major.
Hope that helped!
Even with a PhD earning a tenure-track position in the humanities is a long and arduous journey that few complete. I'd recommend it only if you are truly passionate about the field. Like DaBossMan, I would also recommend you double major in something else -- Linguistics, Comp Sci, Maths, etc. for analytic (in my opinion more boring) philosophy, or just about anything for continental philosophy -- unless you are thinking about law or graduate (or even business) school, probably the most viable options for philosophy majors. Some schools have a PPE (Philosophy, Politics, Economics) program that you might consider if you are interested in those subjects, although your philosophy classes will likely be limited to ethical and political thinkers.
If you love it, do it. But if you don't absolutely love it, think twice. You could be living in a cardboard box in a few years ;)
It's really not as bad as people are making out from a perspective of being able to get work with it. The overwhelming majority of people I know dont get work in the field they studied at university.
But, I'd kinda like to recommend not taking it. Philosophy is basically a history course, and as far as history courses go, it's not a very interesting one. You arent going to learn anything new studying philosophy except for the names of the people who first wrote down ideas you have had your whole life.
Most of the stuff you would call philosophy you would also call semantics, and that really isnt interesting at all.
I hate to dismiss a field of study, but management, philosophy and sometimes psychology (whenever it is taken for interests other than scientific) are really better to be avoided imo.
Have a nice day.
But, I'd kinda like to recommend not taking it. Philosophy is basically a history course, and as far as history courses go, it's not a very interesting one. You arent going to learn anything new studying philosophy except for the names of the people who first wrote down ideas you have had your whole life.
Most of the stuff you would call philosophy you would also call semantics, and that really isnt interesting at all.
I hate to dismiss a field of study, but management, philosophy and sometimes psychology (whenever it is taken for interests other than scientific) are really better to be avoided imo.
Have a nice day.
It's a great major for going to law school, but if philosophy is what you want to do with your life, then yeah make sure to get a Ph. D so you can get a teaching job.
seriously, in our economy right now, I would go for a differnt majoy but minor in it. If you want to study Philosophy fine but dont use it as a career backing because that wont help you at all. With people hardly ever getting a job relating to their major it makes no sence to mojor in somehting that isnt going to help you in your careers. You dont have to major in something to learn all you can about it. You can learn just as much with it as your minor as you can with it being your major.
Are you kidding? There are no job openings for humanities PhDs. Recommended reading: http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2009/01/2009013001c.htm.
I take exception to your opinion, Luduan.
You really don't know what you're talking about. Philosophy is not a glorified history course; you MIGHT be able to make an argument as to how Ancient and Medieval Philosophy are, but those branches of Philosophy are anachronisms of the tradition.
With every year there are new innovations in philosophical thought, particularly in the two branches of thought dominating the present--Analytic and Continental Philosophy (the more obtuse and nonsensical of the two). To say that Philosophy is like a history course is equivalent to saying that all Philosophical issues have been solved; this is not the case. And to say that Philosophical issues are all "ideas you have had your whole life" is absurd. Sure, Philosophy often touches on curiosities of the mind common to all, but it certainly offers a perspective not offered by isolated thought alone. Particularly with Analytic Philosophy: this is a branch of Philosophy that is typically not concerned with assertions of existence, like does God exist, what is ethical and all the stock questions we ask ourselves and all the "ideas we've had our whole lives" (in fact, most Analytics don't think metaphysical concerns are issues of Philosophy). Instead, it is concerned with the disambiguation of expression, particularly through logic. In fact, the reason why logic is a considerably important part of Philosophy is because of the Analytic tradition; that's why I recommended Math, Physics or Computer Science to pair with a Philosophy major.
You are are not entitled to your assertions concerning Philosophy; you are clearly talking out of your ass and know very little about the subject (which I find is a common trait between people who think Philosophy isn't a worthwhile subject to study). A lot of my Philosophy friends study Math as well (I take Computer Science as my second major); it is a respectable field of study. Most of the belittlement of Philosophy is based on the misconception that it is for artsies who are not particularly intelligent and want an easy major; this is, of course, often the case, but that does not mean that the tradition itself is not worthwhile.
If you don't like Philosophy you just don't like Philosophy, but in order to say that Philosophy isn't worthwhile, you need to actually know what Philosophy is and it is painfully obvious that you have no clue.
I live my life by this motto, that I learned from someone who I hate very, very much:
"If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life"
I'm glad you agree that continental philosophy is nonsense. I guess I was being a bit generous when I called it a glorified history course. It's a bs course, where the only thing you will learn is a teency bit of history, and a whole lot of nonsense.
I am aware of the existence of analytic philosphy but generally it isnt what people mean when they say they want to study philosophy, and as a consequence it isnt what people study when they say they want to study philosophy.
Analytic philosophy always struck me as being for people who werent smart enough for maths or linguistics. Or I guess, for people who thought philosophy sounded cool, realised it was rubbish, then didnt want to change degrees to maths or linguistics for whatever reason. I also am confused about why if they are so interested in disambiguating expression, they named their field something so misleading.
Have a nice day.
I am aware of the existence of analytic philosphy but generally it isnt what people mean when they say they want to study philosophy, and as a consequence it isnt what people study when they say they want to study philosophy.
Analytic philosophy always struck me as being for people who werent smart enough for maths or linguistics. Or I guess, for people who thought philosophy sounded cool, realised it was rubbish, then didnt want to change degrees to maths or linguistics for whatever reason. I also am confused about why if they are so interested in disambiguating expression, they named their field something so misleading.
Have a nice day.
Understanding philosophy is a great thing to have in your repertoire, but spending 4 years to major in it won't really lead to that much benefit. If you are looking to get rich, you are going to have one hell of a challenge trying to do it with only a philosophy degree. Like chaos pointed out, the job market for humanities and arts is shrinking by the day. You'd probably be better off financially with a different degree, but the beauty of philosophy is that you can relate it to pretty much anything. Double majoring or just minoring in philosophy will be really helpful, especially if you really enjoy studying it.
I won't bother attempting to defend philosophy as a discipline against the ill-formed attack on it. Philosophical considerations have become such a part of my own life that I find it odd for anyone to question their value, either intrinsic or instrumental. If you dislike philosophy, fine, but to dismiss it without reason on the grounds that it is "nonsense" and "uninteresting history" evinces intellectual laziness and ignorance of the subject.
My apologies, but I would much rather read Spinoza, Nietzsche or Bergson over Russell, Frege or Moore any day (to use anachronistic -- and somewhat unfair -- examples). In all seriousness though, I simply find continental philosophy more interesting; the few analytic philosophers I enjoy tend to be those who bridge the chasm between the two (the later Wittgenstein, Rorty [postanalytic?], Davidson, etc). I am mainly concerned with ontology; the analytic project slightly offends my postmodern (if I have leave to employ so nebulous and protean a term) sensibilities.
Tell that to Michael Martin, Anthony Flew et al. =) Continental philosophy (in Heidegger's wake) is much more concerned with "how" things exist than "what" exists.
Every field of study/career is worth pursuing as long as you yourself are interested in it. I was good at philosophy and I loved it, but I didn't take it because I wanted something that gave me a more solid financial base and then minor in it. Of course, that plan was struck down by lack of interest. So I did not get to do philosophy at all (I minored in Sustainability instead, coupled with Chemical engineering major. Ok it doesn't work exactly that way so if you want details just PM me or something).
People can argue here back and forth over what part of philosophy they found most interesting. But what is actually pertaining to the question is whether he should go and study it: and that is simply a matter of evaluating priorities. If happiness is your pursuit in life and studying it makes you happy, then you should do it and more power to you! If you are concerned about financing and job possibility, consider whether you cannot combine or double major so you have a backup plan! It all depends on where you want to go, which is really the beautiful and cursed part of life; setting goals and priorities.
People can argue here back and forth over what part of philosophy they found most interesting. But what is actually pertaining to the question is whether he should go and study it: and that is simply a matter of evaluating priorities. If happiness is your pursuit in life and studying it makes you happy, then you should do it and more power to you! If you are concerned about financing and job possibility, consider whether you cannot combine or double major so you have a backup plan! It all depends on where you want to go, which is really the beautiful and cursed part of life; setting goals and priorities.
Your first statement in the quote above is an unwarranted generalization (I'm sure that even you can realize this). Like I said before, most people who are interested in Analytic Philosophy pair their major with something Math related (such as Math, Physics, Computer Science, and Linguistics, which is something I overlooked that can be Math related, too). In fact, I don't know anyone who doesn't. I'm sure these people exist (by virtue of probability), but there is a general trend towards a pairing of majors; it takes a specific brand of person to be interested in Analytic Philosophy, I feel, and those are the people who genuinely enjoy Math (Physics would have been cool; I regret not pursuing that sometimes). And your explanation as to why people study Analytic Philosophy is equally absurd and generalized.
How is the name of the field misleading? Disambiguation means to make clear--to rid of ambiguity. Sure, the word "analytic" does not necessarily entail the concept of disambiguation, but it certainly does not contradict the concept, in any misleading ways. If anything, the word "analytic" suggests a certain clarity (in a broad sense, of course), for, in order to closely analyze, one must make clear that which is being analyzed.
I can't really speak for Continental Philosophy (or its similar, but ultimately deviating branches) since I think it's rubbish and thus have done my best to avoid it (I think the only times I've touched upon it was for my 100 course and for a half course, since it was obligatory for the major). I'm sure Luduan can think of something, if he feels inclined to do so. I feel it would be unfair to be totally dismissive about Continental Philosophy considering my lack of expertise, but, by that same token, I can't make any statements as to its respectability.
There isnt any a priori knowledge that you dont know already. Even in mathematics all you learn are the definitions of symbols. Once you know what dividing is you already know that 4 divided by 2 is 2. The technique of mathematics is improving efficiency, and having a good memory.
Given you already know the symbols of language, all you could learn from philosophy is how to communicate more efficiently. But this really should be a branch of linguistics.
Any knowledge that isnt a priori is a part of science.
I dont see any value in the discipline at all. It is very hard for me to attack something so poorly defined however. I am pretty sure the burden of proof should be on your side.
Have a nice day.