About Philosophy

On this page:

Famous Philosophy Majors What is Philosophy? Why should I include Philosophy in my degree? What skills will I gain from studying Philosophy?

Famous Philosophy Majors

You might be surprised to know how many famous people majored in Philosophy, for example:

• Woody Allen
• Martin Luther King, Jr
• Bill Clinton
• Bruce Lee
• David Duchovny
• Raisa Gorbachev
• Jay Leno
• Harrison Ford
• Steve Martin
• Susan Sarandon
• George Soros
• Thomas Jefferson
• Northrop Frye
• Iris Murdoch
• Alexander Solzhenitsin
• Susan Sontag
• Pope John Paul II
• Pierre Trudeau

  Page top

What is Philosophy?

Here is what some of the greatest contemporary philosophers have said in answer to this question:

Philosophy is thinking in slow motion. It breaks down, describes and assesses moves we ordinarily make at great speed - to do with our natural motivations and beliefs. It then becomes evident that alternatives are possible [John Campbell, Philosophers]

One comes to philosophy already endowed with a stock of opinions. It is not the business of philosophy either to undermine or to justify these pre-existing opinions, to any great extent, but only to try to discover ways of expanding them into an orderly system f It succeeds to the extent that (1) it is systematic, and (2) it respects those of our pre-philosophical opinions to which we are firmly attached. In so far as it does both better than any alternative we have thought of, we give it credence. [David Lewis, Counterfactuals]

Philosophy is different from science and from mathematics. Unlike science it doesnÍt rely on experiments or observation, but only on thought. And unlike mathematics it has no formal methods of proof. It is done just by asking questions, arguing, trying out ideas and thinking of possible arguments against them, and wondering how our concepts really work. [Thomas Nagel, What Does it All Mean]

The word ïphilosophyÍ means the love of wisdom, but what philosophers really love is reasoning. They formulate theories and marshal reasons to support them, they consider objections and try to meet these, they construct arguments against other views. Even philosophers who proclaim the limitations of reason f all adduce reasons for their views and present difficulties for opposing ones. [Robert Nozick, The Nature of Rationality]

I think there is only one way to f philosophy f to meet a problem, to see its beauty and fall in love with it; to get married to it, and to live with it happily, till death do ye part - unless you should meet another more fascinating problem, or unless indeed you should obtain a solution. But even if you do obtain a solution you may then discover to your delight, the existence of a whole family of enchanting though perhaps difficult problem children for whose welfare you may work, with a purpose to the end of your days. [Karl Popper, Realism and the Aim of Science]

I see philosophy not as f groundwork for science, but as continuous with science. I see philosophy and science as in the same boat - a boat which f we can rebuild only at sea while staying afloat in it. There is no external vantage point, no first philosophy. All scientific findings, all scientific conjectures that are at present plausible, are therefore in my view as welcome for use in philosophy as elsewhere [W.V.O. Quine, ñNatural Kindsî, Ontological Relativity and Other Essays]

Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is the true answer to the doubts it raises, is able to suggest many possibilities which enlarge our thoughts and free them from the tyranny of custom. Thus, while diminishing our feeling of certainty as to what things are, it greatly increases our knowledge as to what they may be; it removes the somewhat arrogant dogmatism of those who have never travelled into the region of liberating doubt, and it keeps alive our sense of wonder by showing familiar things in an unfamiliar aspect. [Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy]

What is the aim of philosophy? To be clear-headed rather than confused; lucid rather than obscure; rational rather than otherwise; and to be neither more, nor less, sure of things than is justifiable by argument or evidence. [Geoffrey Warnock, Philosophers]

Without philosophy thoughts are, as it were, cloudy and indistinct: its task is to make them clear and to give them sharp boundaries. [Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus]

Page top

Why should I include Philosophy in my degree?

The way in which Philosophy is done here at Victoria provides intellectual skills that can be employed widely inside and outside a university setting. In every course students are shown how to analyse issues, and how to both produce and assess coherent arguments by engaging with primary texts. This means that doing some philosophy should be of benefit to students who are not planning to major in Philosophy as well as to those who are.

In addition, there are clear connections that are based on content rather than style between particular philosophy courses and those in other disciplines. The benefit to be derived from including those so-linked is more obvious. For example, there are connections through logic to computing and mathematics and with science through the philosophy of biology, science, ethics and genetics. There are connections with media studies, art history, literature and film through the philosophy of art and the media, philosophy of literature, film and aesthetics or philosophy of the arts and connections with politics and women’s studies through feminist philosophy, political philosophy, morality and international relations.

Page top

What skills will I gain from studying Philosophy?

Studying Philosophy will give you the ability to:

» look at issues from multiple points of view
» solve problems
» think logically and critically
» think independently and creatively
» synthesise information and identify main points
» consider pros and cons of an idea
» identify mistakes in reasoning

Page top