Philosophy majors can do just about anything. So, it is not surprising that Travis Chamberlain, started out in the military, then made his way to the one of the most prestigious universities in the world: The London School of Economics.
In a recent article on Forbes.com, he outlines one of the central arguments for a philosophy degree. He writes:
“The surprisingly robust ROI for philosophy majors can be traced to its intellectual rigor. Philosophers are taught to seek out the pressure points in arguments and to reason for themselves. They dive into highly technical conversations, construct their own positions and arguments, and analyze relevant problems from multiple perspectives.”
He argues that the major is quite versatile. He then offers this comparison to getting an education in science and technology:
“This is not to argue that similar training is not incorporated into a STEM emphasis; it certainly is, but STEM fields follow a more hierarchical model foregoing the creative assessment of rules and perspectives. While a good philosopher recognizes and can adhere to rules (arguments must be structured, after all), she is comfortable in the presence of diverse perspectives and is not afraid to give her own.”
This is a perspective that we at Philosophy is a Great Major never get tired of sharing. Philosophy is wonderful because it prepares people for whatever comes their way. It isn’t specialized training, that becomes obsolete the moment someone changes his or her profession. it is learning how to learn.
Read Chamberlain’s article at Forbes.com
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