Why Study Philosophy

Improves Problem Solving Skills: Philosophy studies the big and difficult questions of life but does so in a rigours and careful process through the examination of concepts, definitions and arguments. These same skills, however, can also be applied to non-philosohical or pratical matters and learning to think in a rational problem-solving manner about our ordinary concerns can be of great value.

Improves Communication Skills: Speaking and writing with clear ideas about what you intend and mean by your words and concepts can substanitvely improve one‘s ability to transfer information from yourself to others. Many disputes can be traced to an imprecise use of language where the same words about being heard by both parties but the meanings for each are different. By taking the time and doing a bit of philosohical work on nearly anything you want to communicate can make a big difference.

Philosophy not only improves one‘s ability to communicate with others it also improves one‘s ability to communicate with oneself, it allows one to have a better understanding of what one thinks and believes. Just as most work is not done well if it is done quickly, one‘s beliefs about oneself and one‘s surroundings can benefit from work and effort on that front.

Improves Persuasive Skills: Good philosophy is not about talking other people into doing things that they probably should not, it is not about rhetoric or emotional persuasion, but it is about presenting thoughts in a public fashion. Philosophy is not the art of assertion, it is the art of reasoning and well reasoned thought can be quite compelling as it is something that can withstand crticism and allows others to see and understand the matter for themselves.

Additionally we can ask…

Socrates “The unexamined life is not worth living.“

Plato: “We are discussing no small matter, but how we ought to live.“

Aristotle: “The wise man is to the ignorant as the living is to the dead.“

And for some dark comedy…

Darth Vader: “The ability to destory a planet is insignificant to…the ablity to determine which planet is destroyed.“