Everyone should take at least one Philosophy course
The department of philosophy here at SUNY Geneseo seems to be one of the majors that gets the least amount of love from the student-body. Speaking for myself, as a philosophy minor who is currently a teaching assistant for a philosophy course, I think this is such a shame.
On campus, the philosophy department has made it so there are many ways to get a taste of what the field has to offer on both micro and macro scales, with there being a philosophy major and minor, and an interdisciplinary minor in ethics and values. On top of this, is the general-education requirements PHIL 111, or Introduction to Logic, can act as a math credit for those who might struggle with more conventional forms of math and could enjoy something more theoretical. There is also a philosophy club which meets in Welles 111 at 7 p.m. on Thursdays for those who might want to dip their toes in through student-led and focused philosophical discussion before fully committing to a course.
One of the most notable strengths of studying philosophy is in the applicability of skills taught within these courses to other fields of study and the world, including how it operates as a whole. Through examination and critique of bigger questions in life that can often be non-definitive, you further build out your skills in reasoning and critical thinking. Being able to use skills such as these have been very helpful for me as I further my study into English as well as education.
The transfer of knowledge may feel more overt for English courses, which work to promote similar skills through mediums like argumentative, analysis, or research papers. The key difference is that English courses do not tend to spend as much time providing tools that can separate one paper from another in extreme ways. The ability to use the optimal form for an argument or the writer’s ability to connect and synthesize the larger and smaller argumentative pieces of their writing are just two examples of this. Philosophy, though, in its goal to create airtight arguments for abstract questions, needs for its participants to perform these exact behaviors consistently and expertly. Being able to assess dilemmas is a critical component of every field of study, work, and life in general. Therefore, having a formal foundation on how to approach these dilemmas can be helpful in avoiding unnecessary stress or panic in a given, unexpected situations, which arise all the time—especially in people-centric fields like education.
Another observation I have made is certainly more person-to-person: even though the courses tend to be rather reading intensive with dense pieces, my philosophy courses are my favorite to complete the readings in. The pieces tend to be quite different from the technical or creative readings I receive in my typical course load, as they tend to focus on topics that don’t get as much visibility in assigned readings. And if they do, they tend to leave the reader with an unquestionable stance on the topic as portrayed by the reading. In my philosophy courses, the readings tend to include reading from a variety of views around the subjects of religion, free-will, knowledge, ethics, and much more. This provides those who might have steadfast views around these topics to be able to better support their own stance, feel further affirmed in their stance through empirical knowledge, and learn techniques to properly counter arguments that might be made against their stances.
Philosophy is a subject that works in tandem with any other academic field, and I think does well to supplement and further the skills those fields hope to instill secondarily to the content. Having that knowledge and cognitive base for your future life is an opportunity too good to pass up while you spend your undergraduate career here. I highly encourage you to check out the course in philosophy next semester with class schedules being recently released and get your discussion on!
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