Philosophy is the investigation of enduring and foundational questions about ourselves, the world and society. It prompts us to think hard and critically examine our own views. The great American philosopher and psychologist William James once said that your philosophy is your "individual way of just seeing and feeling the total push and pressure of the cosmos."
Philosophy includes numerous subfields addressing questions such as the following:
- Ethics and political philosophy: How should we live our lives? What is the difference between right and wrong? What is justice and what does it require of us?
- Metaphysics and epistemology: Do we have free will? Can we know anything for certain? What is real? Does God exist? Could we survive death?
- Philosophies of science, language and mind: Is the mind separate from the body? How are the words we use to communicate related to the world we live in? How can we choose between rival scientific theories?
- Logic: How can we distinguish good forms of reasoning from bad forms of reasoning?
If you have ever contemplated these questions, you have already dabbled in philosophy.
Philosophical questions are also relevant to a wide range of other fields. For instance, political philosophy can inform research in political science, business people benefit from business ethics, philosophy of mind is closely related to psychology and artificial intelligence and logic is vital to computer science.
Philosophy builds critical thinking and communication skills useful in a wide variety of careers. Thinking hard is not easy, but it is deeply rewarding.
