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- Possible Career Paths
- What can you do with a philosophy degree? This is usually what students want to know when considering a major. You might wonder what job you might be able to land with a degree in philosophy. You will also be surprised to learn that the vast majority of philosophy majors do not go on to become philosophy professors, but go on to lead their fields in many other areas. A baccalaureate degree in philosophy is an excellent preparation for law school, business school, or graduate study in any area of the humanities or fine or performing arts. Additionally, many people with philosophy degrees go on to start businesses, found non-profit organizations, and much more.
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- Benefits of the Studying Philosophy
- Develops Analytical Reasoning Skills - If Philosophy is thought of as an art, then its medium would be the argument. Philosophical explanations require the support of well reasoned arguments. Recognizing, analysing and evaluating arguments develops this skillset. Philosophy majors consistently score at the top in postbaccalaureate examinations, such as GRE, LSAT, GMAT and others.
- Improves Articulation of Difficult and Abstract Concepts - Most of the ideas that are important to us are very complex. The ability to express difficult concepts is a major component of being able to sucessfully read and write philosophy. In turn, this ability gives every student of philosophy an edge in all other academic pursuits, which lasts well beyond one's college years.
- Fosters Critical Thinking - The ability to consider and analyze arguments gives one the tools required to understand both sides of any issue. This skill is particularly important, not only in an academic context, but also with repect to moral issues and decisions. A person who possesses critical thinking skills has the tools required to make better decisions, do better moral reasoning, and think more clearly about difficult issues.
- Instills a Broad Understading of the History of Ideas - Philosophical traditions date back to the 7th century BCE. Through careful reasoning about human problems, philosophers have pondered questions that range across the human experience. Studying philosophy will necessarily aqcuaint you with history, great works of science and literature, and the arts. If you're looking for an undergraduate experience that will make you an informed, well-rounded citizen, then philosophy should be on your list.
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- Famous Philosophy Majors
- Government
- Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City
- Thomas Jefferson, U. S. President
- Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense
- Richard Riorden, Former Mayor of Los Angeles
- Justice David Souter, Supreme Court Justice
- Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
- George Stephanopoulos, former White House Press Secretary
- Business
- Carl C. Icahn, corporate raider and investor
- Frank Moran, founder of Plante and Moran
- George Soros, financier and philanthropist
- The Arts
- Wes Anderson, director, The Royal Tannenbaums
- Pearl S. Buck, Nobel Prize for Literature
- Ethan Coen, filmmaker
- Umberto Eco, novelist
- Martin Gardner, author
- Richard Gere, actor
- Philip Glass, composer
- Bruce Lee, martial artist and actor
- Elmore Leonard, author
- Iris Murdoch, author
- Bertrand Russell, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature
- Jean-Paul Sartre, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature
- Gene Siskel, movie critic
- Ken Follett, author
- Michael Frayn, Playwright (Copenhagen) & Novelist
- Northrup Frye, English scholar and Literary Critic
- Rebecca Goldstein, Novelist and MacArthur Prize winner
- Terence Malick, filmmaker
- Robert Motherwell, painter
- Barnett Newman, painter
- Marsha Norman, Playwright and Pulitzer Prize Winner
- Wallace Shawn, playwright and actor
- Mary Higgins Clark, author
- Steve Martin, actor, playwright and author
- Other
- Stokely Carmichael/Kwame Ture, civil rights leader
- Phil Jackson, NBA coach
- Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
- Madelyn Murray O'Hare, civil rights activist
- Pope John Paul II
- Mario Savio, civil rights leader
- Albert Schweitzer, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
- John Stoltzmann, winner of the World Poker Open
- Angela Davis, Social activist and political philosopher
- P. Michael Spense, Economist and Nobel Prize Economics 2001
- Juan Williams, NPR host “Talk of the Nation,” writer, journalist
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- Links of Interest
- Philosophy: A Brief Guide for Undergraduates from the APA
- "Working Your Degree: Philosophy" at cnn.com
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Why pursue a Degree in Philosophy? |
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Radford University Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies - BOX 6943 - 831-5213