<p>It is often posited that an undergraduate education in philosophy, while not really leading to any specific career path, is useful in that it imparts an ability to reason clearly, argue forcefully, analyze critically, etc. Is this really true, and is it really any more true of philosophy majors than others? </p>
<p>Any other suggestions for someone who's goal in undergraduate education is improving in thinking, writing, and speaking? I have options for work already, so I'm not terribly concerned about my major having a clear career path.</p>
<p>Mathematics and philosophy used to be in the same park, long before they became separate fields. If you can endure a couple of semesters of Calculus, and maybe some Intro Physics, you get a lot of brain exercise there. Also, depending on what kind of writing you expect to do, Technical Writing or other intensive writing courses. </p>
<p>Yes! Philosophy definitely forces students to be able to reason clearly and analytically. Further, it builds one’s ability to communicate in a coherent and concise matter (and write alliteratives, apparently.) </p>
<p>I have no doubt that mathematics fills out the thinking portion of your request, as the above poster kindly suggested (although I would point out that there still are significant overlap in contemporary analytical philosophy and math.) I have more doubts as to whether calculus will do any training for your writing or speaking.</p>
<p>It sounds like what you are looking for above all is a classic liberal arts education. Take a look at the websites of some SLACs and see if their curricula appeals to you.</p>
<p>A businessman once joked, “I can hire a philosophy major and teach him everything he’d have learned in business school in six weeks. But if I hire a business major I’ll never be able to teach him to think.”</p>