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April 27,
2005
Philosophy is back!
Or perhaps we should say: Philosophy is back?
What? You expected definitive answers in an editorial about the study of
philosophy?
Actually, we do have an unequivocal point to make: It is wise to study
philosophy.
And, as a recent story by Press education writer Diane D'Amico pointed out, the
good news is that interest in philosophy classes appears to be increasing.
Atlantic Cape Community College now offers a concentration in philosophy. At
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, there are approximately 50 philosophy
majors, up from just a handful less than 10 years ago. And Maughn Gregory, a
teacher at Montclair University, even has a program that introduces
elementary-school students to philosophy.
Why study philosophy? Isn't it ... well, kind of an irrelevant waste of time for
students hoping to put their educations to use in the business world?
In a word: No. Studying philosophy teaches you to think critically, to analyze,
to solve problems, to see things in ways you never saw before - exactly the
skills that virtually every business leader out there says are necessary, and
often lacking, in today's world.
Interestingly, the students who have the hardest time in philosophy classes,
says ACCC professor Richard Benner, "are those who won't question what they
think they know." Philosophers, after all, question everything, including and
especially themselves.
The business world may be a "can do" kind of place. But a wave of corporate
scandals, and the demands of the ever-changing modern marketplace, have created
a demand for the "why do?" guy or gal.
The study of philosophy "taught me how to think, how to analyze before making a
judgment," says Stockton philosophy major Cameron Bell.
Besides, as Stockton professor Anne Pomeroy notes, "Once they read Sartre, they
realize they can read anything."