What Can You Do with a Degree in Philosophy?Some General Uses of Philosophy* Much of what is learned in philosophy can be applied in virtually any endeavor. This is both because philosophy touches on so many subjects and, especially, because many of its methods are usable in any field.
Communication Skills. Philosophy also contributes uniquely to the development of expressive and communicative powers. It provides some of the basic tools of self-expression—for instance, skills in presenting ideas through well-constructed, systematic arguments—that other fields either do not use, or use less extensively. It helps one to express what is distinctive of one's view; enhances one's ability to explain difficult material; and helps one to eliminate ambiguities and vagueness from one's writing and speech. Persuasive Powers. Philosophy provides training in the construction of clear formulations, good arguments, and apt examples. It thereby helps one develop the ability to be convincing. One learns to build and defend one's own views, to appreciate competing positions, and to indicate forcefully why one considers one's own views preferable to alternatives. These capacities can be developed not only through reading and writing in philosophy, but also through the philosophical dialogue, in and outside the classroom, that is so much a part of a thoroughgoing philosophical education. Writing Skills. Writing is taught intensively in many philosophy courses, and many regularly assigned philosophical texts are unexcelled as literary essays. Philosophy teaches interpretive writing through its examination of challenging texts, comparative writing through emphasis on fairness to alternative positions, argumentative writing through developing students' ability to establish their own views, and descriptive writing through detailed portrayal of concrete examples: the anchors to which generalizations must be tied. Striker and technique, then, are emphasized in philosophical writing. Originality is also encouraged, and students are generally urged to use their imagination and develop their own ideas.
Non-Academic Careers* Studying philosophy yields immediate benefits for students planning postgraduate work. Law, medical, business, and other professional school faculty and admissions personnel agree that philosophy is excellent preparation for the training and later careers. People with training in philosophy exist in just about every field. They can be found in such professions as teaching (at all levels), medicine, and law, as well as computer science, business, management, publishing, sales, criminal justice, public relations, among others. Employers’ needs change, according to fluctuating social and economic patterns. For this reason, having certain basic skills, skills which studying philosophy provides, is absolutely essential. These skills include the ability to solve problems, to communicate, to organize ideas and issues, to assess pros and cons, and to boil down complex data. Because these skills are transferable, people who have a background in philosophy are not only prepared to do many kinds of tasks; they can also cope with change, or even move into new careers, more readily than others. Philosophy need not be mentioned in a job description for the benefits from studying it to be appreciated by an employer, and the benefits need not even be explicitly appreciated for one to advance one’s career.
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Philosophy and One’s Life* The long-range value of philosophical study goes far beyond its contribution to one's livelihood. Philosophy broadens the range of things one can understand and enjoy. It can give one self-knowledge, foresight, and a sense of direction in life. It can provide, to one's reading and conversation, special pleasures of insight. It can lead to self-discovery, expansion of consciousness, and self-renewal. Through all of this, and through its contribution to one's expressive powers, it nurtures individuality and self-esteem. Its value for one's private life can be incalculable; its benefits for one's public life as a citizen can be immeasurable.
*This information comes directly from the American Philosophical
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General
Problem Solving. The study of philosophy enhances, in a way no
other activity does, one's problem-solving capacities. It helps one to
analyze concepts, definitions, arguments and problems. It contributes to
one's capacity to organize ideas and issues, to deal with questions of
value, and to extract what is essential from masses of information. It
helps one both to distinguish fine differences between views and to
discover common ground between opposing positions. And it helps one to
synthesize a variety of views or perspectives into a unified whole.