Why Philosophy?

“Since it is philosophy that teaches us to live, and since there is a lesson in it for childhood as well as for the other ages, why is it not imparted to children?” (Montaigne, “Education of Children”)

The Most Important Reason

The best reason to do philosophy is that you are interested in living well, and you want to know what that really means. Philosophy is born from curiosity about the human condition and our place in the universe.

Exploring your curiosity, going on thought-adventures, is an intrinsically rewarding experience that is, when done well, satisfying all by itself, regardless of what it brings you.

But studying philosophy also has a number of other benefits.

Test Scores

Philosophy majors in college are ranked second (just behind economics majors) on LSAT scores. They score the best of any major on the GRE . And they score in the top five of majors on the GMAT. See here, and here.

Studies have also shown that those who study philosophy before college demonstrate significant gains in a variety of areas. First, in randomized trials, students who regularly had the opportunity to do philosophy in a guided environment during the school day showed significant gains over their peers on the Cognitive Abilities Test. See here, here, here, and here. Second, studies with young children indicate that instruction in philosophy boosts grade level in reading and math. See here.

Social Benefits

In today’s polarized world, many of us have difficulty listening to those we disagree with - and difficulty expressing our views to those who disagree with us. Navigating deep-seated disagreement is crucial to our daily lives - in school, the office, with family, everywhere. It is also fundamental to being a good citizen.

Practicing philosophy is practicing this difficult skill. If you want to be able to understand where others are coming from, to be able to express yourself so that you are persuasive to others, you ought to study philosophy.