Why Study Philosophy?

Because Philosophy is devoted to rigorous reflection on foundational matters (see What is Philosophy? for more on this) philosophers are especially skilled at abstract reasoning and the clear expression of complicated ideas. These skills are important to any field of study, so in addition to being a fascinating discipline in its own right, it is no surprise that Philosophy majors tend to do tremendously well on graduate examinations.

The GRE (Graduate Record Examination)

• On the verbal section, Philosophy majors have the highest mean score of any major, including, notably, English majors.

• On the quantitative section, Philosophy majors have a higher mean score than any humanities or social science major except economics.

• On the analytic section, Philosophy majors have the second highest mean score of any major.

The LSAT (Law School Aptitude Test)

• The mean score for Philosophy majors is third to Mathematics and Economics majors.

• The mean score for Philosophy majors is notably higher than Pre-law majors.

The GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test)

• Excluding the hard sciences, the mean score for Philosophy majors is either first or second.

• Including the hard sciences, the mean score for Philosophy majors is tied for fourth.

• The mean score for Philosophy majors is better than any of the various Business majors (Accounting, Economics, etc.).

The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)

• Philosophy majors score higher on the MCAT than any other Humanities major.

To be sure, these are impressive results. Most stunning is the fact that Philosophy majors typically do much better on the LSAT and the GMAT than those specifically trained for study in law and business.

The upshot is that Philosophy provides splendid preparation for nearly any post-graduate field of study, particularly when it is coupled with a second major (Philosophy + Mathematics, Philosophy + Economics, Philosophy + Biology, Philosophy + English, Philosophy + Psychology, etc.)

Here are some additional reasons for studying Philosophy:

• This is an essay by Judy Pelham of York University on the Philosophy major that explores post-graduate career opportunities.

• This is an essay by Eric Steinhart on the Philosophy major as preparation for the information age.

• This is a New York Times article, "Philosophers Find the Degree Pays Off in Life And in Work", by Carol Marie Cooper on the advantages to a Philosophy major.

• This is another New York Times article, "To Beat the Market: Hire a Philosopher", by Edward Wyatt on Philosophy in business.

• This is an essay, "Advice for Prospective Law Students", by Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D., on Philosophy as a preparation for Law School.