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Philosophy

Why Study Philosophy?

What is truth? Do you have free will? What can you know? What is the meaning of life? Does God exist? Is abortion morally permissible? What about war? Using drugs? Euthanasia? If these sorts of questions interest you, you’re ready to study Philosophy.

The word ‘philosopher’ literally means lover of wisdom. It is not surprising then that the goal of Philosophy is to improve our understanding of the world and how we should live in it. Philosophers – like all wise people – are concerned to answer questions about truth and value, about what’s real and what’s important. But Philosophy isn’t just the love of wisdom. Philosophy is also the love of thinking critically and creatively, of discussing intelligently and of arguing cogently. And these are skills that can be applied to almost any issue in almost any context.

The study of Philosophy will therefore help you with all other courses you take at university. Since creative, critical and cogent thinking are fundamental to every subject, lecturers and tutors are always looking for these qualities and will be grading your work according to how well you demonstrate them. Doing a Philosophy course can therefore give you a competitive academic edge and enhance the overall quality of your degree.

Moreover, if you’re primarily interested in another subject area, such as Politics, History, Law, Mathematics, Psychology, Science, Literature or Religion, you can complement that area of study and uncover its basic presuppositions by taking a course in the Philosophy of Politics, History, Law, Mathematics, Psychology, Science, Literature or Religion. In fact it doesn’t matter what subject you’re interested in at the tertiary level, there’s probably a philosophy subject about it!

Now here’s a story about Microsoft. Microsoft is famous for its gruelling interviews. An excellent CV and good personal skills were never enough to ensure you a place at Microsoft. They’ve always wanted more – much more – and so they instituted a policy of asking their applicants to solve logic puzzles and paradoxes, and to answer hypothetical and trick questions. You see, Microsoft believed that when it came to the computer industry, good employees needed to be able to think critically and creatively. They had to question assumptions and think outside the box. Logic puzzles and paradoxes are designed to test that ability. Other industries now recognise the importance of these skills. Consequently many in the corporate and business world are emulating Microsoft’s interviewing style, and incorporate trick questions and logical puzzles as features of their interviewing process. An ability to solve brainteasers can therefore be very useful when you’re competing for a good job. But what’s all this got to do with Philosophy? Well, Philosophy is all about learning to solve logic puzzles and answering trick questions. Not only will a Philosophy course significantly increase your critical thinking skills, it will make it fun, and thereby increase your degree of comfort with this style of thinking. Who knows, after taking a Philosophy course, you may even look forward to those job interviews!

Being a Philosopher

Philosophers, as such, are only employed by universities, where they carry out teaching and research roles. Academic positions are highly competitive and you would need a PhD of good quality, together with developed research interests and a record of publication. Discussing your academic career goals with tutors and academic supervisors is a good first step.

Download a complete copy of Career View on Philosophy below.

Career View on Philosophy is part of the Career View series produced by Career Development and Employmentat Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. While the booklet was originally developed for a New Zealand audience, we believe that graduates in Australia will also find the information within it relevant and useful.

Check out the excellent resources available on the Victoria University of Wellington's Careers homepage at www.vuw.ac.nz/st_services/careers

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