Philosophy: The unsung hero of being the greatest choice for a secondary degree.

Opinion piece

Philosophy, despite being the origin of higher education in the first place, often gets a bad rap as also being the most useless.

In fact, the jokes about philosophy in acadamia seems to know no bounds, the following being some major examples I heard over the years:

The only profession for students of philosophy is philosophy professor.

Two fathers were conversing. The first said, “My son is doing alright. He made straight D’s in high school, and after high school, he went to work at the shop with me, and someday, he’ll take over fixing up cars when I’m done.”
The other father looked at him, “Oh yea? Well my son got straight A’s, and now he’s going to college.
The first father looked to the second, and asked him, “What’s he majoring in?”
The second father hesitated, “Philosophy.”
The first father smirked, “I couldn’t be prouder of my son than right now.”

Why do schools have philosophy departments? So art majors can have better job prospects than someone.

Or a personal favorite:

Headmaster: We are deciding budgets. What does everyone need?
Head of the Science Department: We need a new particle accelerator, wastebaskets, and paper.
Head of the Math Department: We need wastebaskets and paper.
Head of the Philosophy Department: We only need paper.

Despite the flurry of jokes, that abound, if Philosophy was so bad, one would be forced to ask, “Why does it persist?” Why is it still around and not relegated to an odd elective such as underwater basket weaving?

The answer, is simple.

Philosophy is, by far, the most useful area of secondary study. In essence, Philosophy is the study of organizing your thoughts and concepts, or in layman’s terms, making sure you have a good head on your shoulders.

Although there is hardly any job in which ‘having a decent head on your shoulders is the primary prerequisite, it’s is undoubtedly an extremely useful skill for every field.

Philosophy helps with discerning fact from fiction, eliminating your own preconceptions, and not falling for hype. It is here that the difference between someone who works in their field and someone who excels in their field can be made.

Here’s some examples of how it applies to different fields:

Art:
One of the key things about art is it’s ability to make those who view it feel things on a deeper level. However, the more thoughtful the artist, the more deep and complex things they are able to make come alive on canvas or their choice of medium. A clear vision of what meaning is can often help the artist depict it appropriately.

Business:
Many business leaders are often forced to make seemingly ambiguous choices; going with provider A or provider B for a service, what actions to take to maintain a core set of company values, how to best appeal to clients, and so forth. The knowledge gained of how to cut through rhetoric and get straight to concepts of philosophy is some of the most effective decision-making tools that exist.

Computer Programming:
Philosophy focuses on managing logic, a vital skill for any programmer trying to design a new program.

Math:
One of the key points of philosophy is understanding regular systems; Math is a regular system. In essence, philosophy can teach a Mathematician to understand the rules behind math, paving the way for greater insights. In fact, the philosophy Book “Godel, Escher, Bach” (https://amzn.to/2Y89nzQ) is a great example of this (as well as many other things).

Medical Science:
Medical science is fraught with moral choices every day. One of the key aspects of philosophy comes in analyzing moral choices.

Sports:
Sun Tsu’s “The Art of War” (https://amzn.to/2Y5WSF0) is simultaneously one of the greatest treatises on war, but also a great book of philosophy. This highlights the strength of clear logical thought for planning strategies and tactics, skills necessary for any team environment.

The point is, even if Philosophy isn’t a great primary field of study (unless, of course, you’re aiming to be a Philosophy professor), it’s probably the the most useful secondary field of study, and should be highly recommended for a second major, minor, or a large collection of electives.