Commenter glory points me to this NYT piece from a few days ago on the vogue in studying philosophy:
Once scoffed at as a luxury major, philosophy is being embraced at Rutgers and other universities by a new generation of college students who are drawing modern-day lessons from the age-old discipline as they try to make sense of their world, from the morality of the war in Iraq to the latest political scandal. The economic downturn has done little, if anything, to dampen this enthusiasm among students, who say that what they learn in class can translate into practical skills and careers. On many campuses, debate over modern issues like war and technology is emphasized over the study of classic ancient texts.
Philosophy is the one field in which you really learn to reason, and not just about one thing. Formal logic helps you see the structure in natural language arguments. Studying great texts helps you learn to recognize argumentative patterns that arise again and again in public deliberation about all sorts of issues. And the naturalistic turn has made philosophy training more useful and directly applicable. It is possible to study philosophy of x as a truly useful complement to the study of x. The best student I ever had as a TA was interested in philosophy of mind and went on to study medicine — she hoped eventually brains — at Hopkins. Of course, there is a great deal of substantive wisdom that helps life seem both richer and more comprehensible.
Of course, there is also this:
Jenna Schaal-O’Connor, a 20-year-old sophomore who is majoring in cognitive science and linguistics, said philosophy had other perks. She said she found many male philosophy majors interesting and sensitive.
“That whole deep existential torment,” she said. “It’s good for getting girlfriends.”
Interesting, sensitive, deep existential torment. Irresistible. It works for ladies, too. I remember how excited I was when I first met Kerry by the fact that she’d been a philosophy major.
“That whole deep existential torment,” she said. “It’s good for getting girlfriends.”
But isn’t the causation relation turned wrongly around there?
It’s the love interest that causes that whole deep existential torment.
“That whole deep existential torment,” she said. “It’s good for getting girlfriends.”
But isn’t the causation relation turned wrongly around there?
It’s the love interest that causes that whole deep existential torment.
Perhaps a traditional philosophy major forces one to reason more strictly than other majors, but it sounds like what is gaining popularity is a watered down version that would not have the same benefits. The current philosophy degree sounds less like wrestling with Kant and Aristotle, and more like venting about the Iraq War, most likely with generous portions of Bush bashing good for an easy A. I doubt this is really mind-sharpening.
Perhaps a traditional philosophy major forces one to reason more strictly than other majors, but it sounds like what is gaining popularity is a watered down version that would not have the same benefits. The current philosophy degree sounds less like wrestling with Kant and Aristotle, and more like venting about the Iraq War, most likely with generous portions of Bush bashing good for an easy A. I doubt this is really mind-sharpening.
wph, Rutgers is one of the best philosophy departments in the world. It is not a very historically-focused department, but probably the best example of a department where philosophy well-integrated with science at a very high level. A lack of rigor is unlikely to be the problem there.
wph, Rutgers is one of the best philosophy departments in the world. It is not a very historically-focused department, but probably the best example of a department where philosophy well-integrated with science at a very high level. A lack of rigor is unlikely to be the problem there.
Obviously no one saw the corresponding WSJ article showing philosophy majors as having the lowest starting salary for graduates. (below even History majors. Ouch!)
http://mungowitzend.blogspot.com/2008/04/4-with-bullet.html
Obviously no one saw the corresponding WSJ article showing philosophy majors as having the lowest starting salary for graduates. (below even History majors. Ouch!)
http://mungowitzend.blogspot.com/2008/04/4-with-bullet.html
Ok, so obviously I hadn’t seen the previous post.
Ok, so obviously I hadn’t seen the previous post.
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Will
I stand corrected. Perhaps I was too quick to extrapolate from the one quote, and my own college days of the early 90s.
I’m glad that people are experiencing the joys of liberal arts education again, (even if it makes them poorer in the short term).
Will
I stand corrected. Perhaps I was too quick to extrapolate from the one quote, and my own college days of the early 90s.
I’m glad that people are experiencing the joys of liberal arts education again, (even if it makes them poorer in the short term).
I found philosophy to be far more intellectually honest than the other liberal arts departments on campus. Most of the philosophy professors were raging liberals (in the statist sense) but gave very fair consideration to opposing viewpoints in ethics and political philosophy courses.
Also, Logic and M&E aren’t very politically charged, once you get past the proofs of God not existing. While studying philosophy, I’ve never felt more committed to finding the real truth about things.
I found philosophy to be far more intellectually honest than the other liberal arts departments on campus. Most of the philosophy professors were raging liberals (in the statist sense) but gave very fair consideration to opposing viewpoints in ethics and political philosophy courses.
Also, Logic and M&E aren’t very politically charged, once you get past the proofs of God not existing. While studying philosophy, I’ve never felt more committed to finding the real truth about things.
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The most stunning stat in that article is that the 27 professors and 60 graduate students nearly outnumbered the 100 graduating majors.
The most stunning stat in that article is that the 27 professors and 60 graduate students nearly outnumbered the 100 graduating majors.
Well Rutgers is one of the top ranked grad programs in the country. Not too surprising.
Will, I’d love a list of Philosophy blogs/blogs by phil majors. (If you’d like to start taking requests from commenters, that is).
Well Rutgers is one of the top ranked grad programs in the country. Not too surprising.
Will, I’d love a list of Philosophy blogs/blogs by phil majors. (If you’d like to start taking requests from commenters, that is).
Of course, the French have embraced “philo” for a long time. This is a country where high school exam questions in philosophy are discussed on the front pages of newspapers and on the evening TV news, and where professors of philosophy are interviewed about their take on the exam questions.
Of course, the French have embraced “philo” for a long time. This is a country where high school exam questions in philosophy are discussed on the front pages of newspapers and on the evening TV news, and where professors of philosophy are interviewed about their take on the exam questions.
I’ve always wondered what good we’re doing teaching students about formal logic. The question is especially pressing now that I’m TAing it this term. It would be nice to see hard evidence on the subject, but knowing about the feminist librarian experiment suggests the results might not be very good.
I’ve always wondered what good we’re doing teaching students about formal logic. The question is especially pressing now that I’m TAing it this term. It would be nice to see hard evidence on the subject, but knowing about the feminist librarian experiment suggests the results might not be very good.