<p>Why does everyone laugh when I say I'm majoring in Philosophy? Imbeciles.</p>
<p>They probably don't think it's very practical.</p>
<p>Some people may see college only as a pathway to a career and nothing more. But the educational experience is supposed to do so much more than just train you to join the work force. It's a chance to broaden your horizons and expand your knowledge. It's not preparation for a career, it's preparation for life.
Just my opinion.</p>
<p>I completely agree with Talk2ya88 on this.</p>
<p>So then, the general premise of Talk2's post and my own, if I may say so is about general intellectual growth. Ancient academia was just that, Philosophy in general, and it encompassed many areas, naturally. Also naturally, because of exponential development in the areas covered by Philosophy back then, necessitated the need for expert areas/experts in the certain "areas" of Philosophy, such as Religion, Mathematics, and the Philosophies of such areas. That is why we have different departments currently, yes?</p>
<p>These days then, the general notion of completing an undergraduate education is that it will consequently provide a career path, income, and financial security, to an extent of course, it all depends. </p>
<p>So the difference lies in the relatively immediately practical applications of studying Business, or Computer Information Systems, and this is of no surprise. </p>
<p>However, and I am not generalizing here and judging Business majors; however, let's face it, you cannot compare Business education with that of more intellectual growth, which provides a rationale for how you think in general.</p>
<p>These, I believe are fundamental tools a student must acquire, as opposed to the mundane training "skills," that are nevertheless required in the business world, and beyond of course.</p>
<p>Do not let people who do not understand you lead you into distraction. If that is what you believe then the decision is yours, and only yours.</p>
<p>Goodluck.</p>
<p>I didn't laugh for that matter. I actually think people who major in philosophy are both very smart and courageous (courageous because you need guts to go against the mainstream mentality that an education prepares you for the workforce, not for life.).</p>
<p>Godspeed.</p>
<p>I've been running into the same thing brand. When I tell people that I'm majoring in English/Creative Writing they inevitably ask me if I plan on teaching because there is nothing else I can do with that major. My parents have tried to push me into a business-related field but I have resisted to this point because I'm simply not interested (not to criticize business majors...it's just not for me). </p>
<p>I think it comes from the way in which my family has lived for so long. They are paycheck-to-paycheck people and think that money, and easy access to it, is the sole justification and reason for a college education. To them, a liberal arts education is a luxury that should only be pursued after a means of suitable employment is secured. I remember my mom telling me one day that she hopes I don't "become a career student hoping to spend the rest of my life at school." To her I replied, "I hope I am a forever a student."</p>
<p>I don't it should be surprising that the people that pay for college (your parents) and the people that go to college (you) have different opinions of what college is for. Try to see it from their perspective.</p>
<p>I don't think it should...*</p>
<p>of course this is not the case for everyone and if you're paying your own way and still view college that way then more power to you</p>
<p>You should wipe the smirk of their faces by going to law or business school and making more money than they do!</p>
<p>But in answer to your question, they're probably like lots of people I know: ignorant, close-minded folks who don't see life as anything other than a pursuit after money and prestige. Anything they don't understand has to be worthless, otherwise they would understand it..... grrrrr. Philosophy is the exact opposite of that lifestyle--- you're actually being pretty revolutionary by foregoing a conventional life. People don't know what to think of that, so they'll either mock you or hate you, or both.</p>
<p>Read Plato's Apology of Socrates--- that's a good picture of how your relationship with 'the world' will be if you chose to do philosophy.... though hopefully it won't end with you drinking hemlocK!</p>
<p>Do what you want, but I caution you to beware that freely pursuing your intellectual pursuits may be symptomatic of decadence. There's nothing wrong with that, as I wish to do it myself, but its slightly ingenuous and possibly immature to go around conceiving of yourself as a rebel because you're one-upping mainstream society by getting a humanities degree when your ability to have that freedom probably arises out of a grid of intelligibility, of myths and means, given to you by mainstream society. But that's just my musing; I could be wrong.</p>
<p>i meant to say disingenous, not ingenuous.</p>
<p>Philosophy majors have the exact same career opportunities as people who major in English, History, Political Science, Sociology, Mathematics, etc. (that is, little if they do not continue their education after their Bachelor's degree, such as at a law school, medical school, teacher's college, seminary, or graduate school). Yet philosophy majors seem to always be the ones who get laughed at. Why is this? The other subjects listed above are not any more practical than philosophy; in fact, philosophy is probably more practical than English, Sociology, and mathematics.</p>
<p>I suspect that it has a lot to do with the fact that the average person on the street (and even many a student on college campuses) doesn't really know what philosophy is.</p>
<p>you people crack me up, dubbing philosophy majors "courageous" and labeling all people who laugh at them as "ignorant, closed-minded folks who don't see life as anything other than a pursuit of money and prestige". </p>
<p>Maybe they're laughing at you because you're paying tens of thousands of dollars to get the same education you could get from reading a few books that wouldn't cost more than a library card. You see, by merely going to college and pursuing a degree, you've already admitted that you value financial security over "intellectual growth" because you know a college degree is worth more to a prospective employer than just reading books for the sake of learning and truly understanding philosophy. Yet you continue to belittle these people who laugh at you, but the joke is on you and it is perfectly appropriate to laugh. You are the "ignorant, closed-minded folks", not them.</p>
<p>i believe it's situational and el duque's point may be a little extreme.</p>
<p>although i think about philisophy a lot, i would never major in it unless i was double majoring. el duque has a point. i ususally just google or wikipedia whatever topic i'm thinking about at the time. i went to a $3000 dollar summer camp where i took a college level ethics class for three weeks. those three weeks were more than enough for me.</p>
<p>el duque, there's a fine line between cold hard reality and wishful thinking, and you're no where near it. You know perfectly well that it's not feasible to stay at home reading philosophy books when society expects (and basically requires nowadays) a college degree. What's wrong with people getting that college degree by studying something they're interested in?</p>
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You should wipe the smirk of their faces by going to law or business school and making more money than they do!
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<p>FWIW, that's what I'm doing. :)</p>
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el duque, there's a fine line between cold hard reality and wishful thinking, and you're no where near it. You know perfectly well that it's not feasible to stay at home reading philosophy books when society expects (and basically requires nowadays) a college degree. What's wrong with people getting that college degree by studying something they're interested in?
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<p>Niomi, there is something you should know: not all BA/BS degrees (by themselves) are created equal. Unless you plan on going to some sort of grad school, a degree in philosophy isn't very marketable.</p>
<p>If the only reason for college was to study what you "love", I would major in astronomy in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that won't pay the bills, and is not a very good return on a four year and $40,000 investment.</p>
<p>are you kidding me niomi? i was obviously not suggesting potential philosophy majors skip college. my point was that if you can learn philosophy for free at a library or online, why would would you waste a college tuition on that major? pick something else that interests you, and study philosophy at your leisure. major in something that actually takes advantage of the college facilities and faculty you're paying so much to have the right to use for four years.</p>
<p>That is the most ridiculous suggestion I've ever heard. I doubt anyone could learn philosophy at a level with which they could do anything with it without help or at least the opportunity to discuss it and pick it apart. Philosophy is never done in a box. If you think you can pick up Wittgenstein or Heidegger or something like that and understand it all just by reading it and not working with it, not talking about it, and without any education in the philosophy from people who know what they are talking about, I'd say you are severely misguided</p>