“But what are you going to do with that?” is the question I’m almost always asked after I tell people I’m a philosophy major. It’s hard not to roll my eyes when people ask me this, partly because I’m tired of hearing it, but also because I don’t have an answer.
The truth is, I’m not studying philosophy because of the advantages it might give me in my career—I’m studying philosophy because I love it. This is what hardly anyone seems to understand: I don’t want my life to revolve around my source of income. Instead, I want to nurture the passions that have motivated me since I can remember: My desire to learn, and my curiosity about the nature of the world around me. I am infatuated with questions concerning the nature of life: Why are we here? What are we capable of knowing? And how should we live our lives? I want to devote my life to contemplating these questions, and the study of philosophy is the way I’m choosing to do that.
Much to my dismay, philosophy seems to be one of the most cited fields of study in the discussion of “impractical” degrees, right next to fine arts and dance. Figures in the media condemn philosophy almost daily, from sensationalist conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, who (incorrectly) singled out philosophy majors for complaining about not being able to get a job, to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who dismissed the entire discipline of philosophy as useless. Even Stephen Hawking, author of one of the most influential books on cosmology, has pronounced philosophy dead. Why is philosophy so universally denounced? I don’t know, but I think it’s severely unfair, considering the amount of thought that goes into the work of philosophers, and it is also incorrect to claim that philosophy does not contribute to society.
Philosophy is the foundation of so many aspects of society as we know it. Our politics, legal systems, methods of scientific research, and many other features which constitute the world we live in were originally conceptualized by early philosophers. Because the basis of our society emerged from careful deliberation, philosophical inquiry is the one of the most important ways we can interrogate the way our society works. Thus, it is unreasonable to argue that philosophy will ever be insignificant.
As Socrates wisely said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Honestly, I don’t see how a life entirely revolving around advancing one’s career, accumulating more money, and that is ultimately neglectful of one’s passions is worth living. I want my college experience to revolve around self development, around skills and ideas that I can refer to and continue to foster for my entire life.
So, no, I don’t necessarily know what I’m going to do with my philosophy degree in the “practical” sense. But to me, that’s irrelevant. Rather than planning for one specific job in the future, I have faith that the right one will present itself to me. I could work a menial, minimum-wage job for the rest of my life, and if that meant I had more time to do what I love, I’d be OK with that. The way I see it, my only goal is to spend the majority of my time in this world doing the things that I feel give me purpose; if I accomplish that by way of my career, great, but if not, I will still be happy with my life in the end. So, for those of you with so-called “impractical” majors like me, don’t let people get to you. As long as you’re happy doing what you do, keep going.
