<p>What's your take on philosophy as a major area of study?</p>
<p>What’s with everyone taking my major?! You make me feel less unique!</p>
<p>Higher level courses require some proficiency in abstract thinking, but the basic courses aren’t that hard. If you’re good at reading and writing, you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Yeah, actually I’ve taken (4) 100-level courses and a 300-level epistemology course. I’m confident I can handle it, but a math major friend of mine said that he will never take more than 1 PHIL course in a semester. And I’ve known him to take 2 or 3 math courses at once. I was wondering if he knew something I didn’t. Haha, maybe I’m just getting nervous for no reason. I’ll probably just major in it and get it over with!</p>
<p>Maybe it’s at my school, but philosophy can be hard for those who aren’t skilled nor value language/writing. Philosophy, from my experience, tends to be a regurgitation of arguments or reasons for a conclusion. It’s not as “free” or “easy” as it should be(in my opinion).</p>
<p>Philosophy requires you to be a pretty decent writer but I don’t think it’s as hard hard as math, physics, or engineering. That said, I think everyone should take a philo course at least once in their college career so as to become a well-rounded, literate person.</p>
<p>Nothing says “I guess so” like a philosophy major.</p>
<p>Oh wait, that’s psychology.</p>
<p>Carry on.</p>
<p>"Yeah, actually I’ve taken (4) 100-level courses and a 300-level epistemology course. I’m confident I can handle it, but a math major friend of mine said that he will never take more than 1 PHIL course in a semester. And I’ve known him to take 2 or 3 math courses at once. I was wondering if he knew something I didn’t. Haha, maybe I’m just getting nervous for no reason. I’ll probably just major in it and get it over with! "</p>
<p>My first guess would be that he is just more math/science oriented than humanities oriented. Not to say that philosophy isn’t challenging, but I would argue that, with some exceptions, you’re using two different skill sets for philosophy and math.</p>
<p>Probably one of the harder social sciences, but still easier than physical/biological sciences and engineering imo.</p>
<p>Logic courses have some pretty weird math intertwined into it!!</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s worth the workload. On an ROE (return on effort) basis, philosophy ranks pretty low.</p>
<p>Sure they score the highest of the social sciences on the LSAT, but an LSAT course will help you more on the LSAT than a philo major.</p>
<p>I’m an econ major so I’m not interested in theory. I’m more interested in what they mean in terms of application rather than the theories themselves. That said, I’ll give the classic econ major response: It depends.</p>
<p>This is an interesting topic as I am very interested in Philosophy. I am strongly considering double majoring in Biology and Philosophy. My ideal goal in life is to get my Pharmacy degree, spend a few year working as a pharmacist and then go to Law school then practice pharmaceutical law.</p>
<p>I love logic and puzzle, the abstractness of philosophy but then the clarity of biology. I feel majoring in both will give me both the ‘how’ and the ‘why’.</p>
<p>LOL @ this thread.</p>
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<p>that’s perhaps the most incorrect statement I have ever heard. Biology is anything BUT clear. It’s a mass of questions and some answers, and then from those answers come three times as many questions… and the cycle continues. If it were clear - cancer would be as routine as a cold. :/</p>
<p>oh, and Philosophy can’t be too hard…
There is a philosophy major at my work, and I swear he’s the most ■■■■■■■■ (but the undiagnosable ■■■■■■■■ kind) guy I know. He’s super loud, slightly obnoxious and starts AND finishes EVERY sentence with “Duuuudde”, “Hella” and “Money, man, money”. Therefore, philosophy is ■■■■■■■■. thank ye.</p>
<p>I find that a larger percentage of philosophy majors are obnoxious than other social sciences. Either because they’re pretentious (“ugh, you’re not going to devote your life to reading the works of dead white people and arguing over what it means OVER AND OVER AGAIN while getting nothing productive done?”) or because they think they’re smarter/better than you. There two major types: Philosophymajorus Goingtolawschoolus and Philosophymajorus WannagetaPhDus. The latter type is more obnoxious.</p>
<p>I’d like to see a philosophy PhD set up an offshore corporation that bounces money around 12 different countries spanning 4 continents while reducing the effective tax burden to 0.5%. Or try a murder case.</p>
<p>/end sarcasm</p>
<p>[USATODAY.com</a> - Offbeat majors help CEOs think outside the box](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/money/covers/2001-07-24-bcovtue.htm]USATODAY.com”>http://www.usatoday.com/money/covers/2001-07-24-bcovtue.htm)</p>
<p>^
Actually, most CEOs didn’t major in business (or econ, in your case). So yes, I’m sure a phil major could do a better job than an econ major at running a company. Companies need innovation to stay alive, could your econ degree give you the tools necessary? Maybe. You said yourself that you don’t care about theory. It’s a fools game to only care about theory, or only care about the “practical application.” An innovator should be concerned with both.</p>
<p>On the flip side, I could ask you if an econ major can tell me how I could best live my life. The answer has to be void of opinion and must logically understood.</p>
<p>End sarcasm.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>Without all the facts, and knowing you personally, I couldn’t tell you if I tried.</p>
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<p>Of course, because most CEOs today had enormous hookups - therefore a useful education was of little concern… so they major in crap like philosophy… or basket weaving.</p>
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<p>Dumbest statement I have ever read on CC. Congrats. Like, your team needs you in the religion thread.</p>
<p>Let me ask you, Jakebosco70, if that is your real name, what business experience do you have? If the answer to this is “I worked at Denny’s”, then quit while you are ahead.</p>
<p>Your major doesn’t mean you will do better or worse than anyone else. All people care about is how hard you will work and how much <em>nonsense</em> you can tolerate while working. A major just shows an employer that you can work consistently to achieve a goal over an extended period of time. Want to know how many times the President, CEO, or any of the management staff in my company come across an issue requiring philosophical judgment? None. Whatsoever.</p>
<p>For the record, my boss majored in Latin-American Literature. He is a market research executive.</p>
<p>Think the fields of study often cross?</p>
<p>You bet your precious philosophy major they don’t.</p>
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<p>Sorry, worded that wrong. What I mean is that biology is based on facts and learning more about facts, there are answers to everything but we just haven’t discovered them yet. Philosophy (as far as I can tell) is learning about the unknowable and creating theories and possibilities not necessarily truth.</p>
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<p>eh…there are idiots in all walks of life.</p>
<p>Let me ask you, Jakebosco70, if that is your real name, what business experience do you have? If the answer to this is “I worked at Denny’s”, then quit while you are ahead.</p>
<p>^I would never do something so trivial as to go into business. I wouldn’t be much of a business man. And I have never been employed at Denny’s.</p>