Philosophy Degree

[fallenchemist]

<p>Schmaltz - fair enough, although I know very few high school juniors or seniors that would know enough to even have a desire for one or the other, lol. But maybe this one does. In any case, it seems you have given him great information along these lines already. If he does have such specific desires, he should make them known so people like you can advise him better. My point is really that to continue saying “Which is best?” serves no useful purpose any longer. In fact, I think you are exactly right that he would have to get much more specific for any more advice to be useful.</p>

<p>However, another point in favor of what I am saying is what if he takes a couple of courses and changes his mind? What if he takes an anthropology course and falls in love with that? That kind of thing happens all the time. So while I agree it makes sense to make sure that whatever schools he considers he should makes sure they have a pretty decent offering in philosophy, it is also extremely important to take into account other factors regarding what general environment he would like best.</p>

[bclintonk]

<p>

@Schmaltz

Bclintok, I’d agree that the Fordham offerings are a bit limited, and slanted toward the Continental approach.

</p>

<p>No, Fordham’s offerings in philosophy are most definitely NOT “slanted toward the Continental approach.” There’s one course on Hegel and Kierkegaard, otherwise no Continental philosophy whatsoever. No, I’d say Fordham’s philosophy curriculum is strongly slanted toward what I’d call a “theological approach.” Again, if that’s what you’re looking for, it’s just peachy, but not everyone is looking for that.</p>

<p>

But a lot of other colleges will be limited in the other direction…to the Analytical approach that will have many students wondering what happened to thinking about the “big picture.”

</p>

<p>LOL. Well, let’s just sample the philosophy curriculum at Princeton, one of the bastions of the “analytical approach.” Let’s see, for starter’s there’s:</p>

<p>PHI 200. Philosophy and the Modern Mind. An introduction to modern philosophy, from the Renaissance to the present, with careful study of works by Descartes, Hume, Kant, and others. Emphasis is placed upon the complex relations of philosophy to the development of modern science, the social and political history of the West, and man’s continuing attempt to achieve a satisfactory worldview.</p>

<p>PHI 218. Learning Theory and Epistemology. An accessible introduction for all students to recent results by logicians, computer scientists, psychologists, engineers, and statisticians concerning the nature and limits of learning. Topics include truth and underdetermination, induction, computability, language learning, pattern recognition, neural networks, and the role of simplicity in theory choice.</p>

<p>PHI 314. Philosophy of Mathematics. A study of the nature of mathematics based on a logical and philosophical examination of its fundamental concepts and methods.</p>

<p>PHI 315. Philosophy of Mind. Investigation of some of the following (or similar) topics: the mind-body problem, personal identity, the unity of consciousness, the unconscious, the problem of other minds, action, intention, and the will. Readings primarily from recent sources.</p>

<p>PHI 318. Metaphysics. An intensive treatment of some of the central problems of metaphysics, such as substance, universals, space and time, causality, and freedom of the will.</p>

<p>PHI 327. Philosophy of Physics. A discussion of philosophical problems raised by modern physics. Topics will be chosen from the philosophy of relativity theory or more often, quantum mechanics.</p>

<p>PHI 337. Relativism. An examination of the alleged threat posed by relativism to the idea that our practices are legitimate. Issues raised will include realism, objectivity, and the place of value in a world of facts. The forms of relativism considered may include relativism about value, scientific theorizing, color, and personal identity.</p>

<p>Any of that “big picture” enough for you? And there’s plenty more where that came from. Actually, to my mind there’s a lot more “big picture” philosophy here than in the applied ethics courses that dominate the Fordham curriculum. And if this “analytical” approach isn’t to your liking, Princeton offers plenty of courses on Continental philosophers old and new, including Descartes-Spinoza-Leibniz, Kant, Hegel and his critics, Nietzsche, and “recent Continental philosophy” covering major 20th Century figures like Sartre, Gadamer, Habermas, and Foucault.</p>

[Schmaltz]

<p>BClintok, I guess you’re right. You proved all Catholic colleges are focused on religion by pointing to Fordham, and proved there’s no such thing as a college slanted towards the Analytical by pointing out a variety of courses at Princeton.</p>

[schrizto]

<p>

Pittsburgh may have an outstanding philosophy department, but it might make more sense for a good student interested in philosophy to do his or her undergraduate work at Johns Hopkins or Amherst, where student-faculty ratios are more favorable, and where there is a stronger focus on undergraduate education.

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<p>Why’d he pick on my school? :(</p>