This morning, Andy Barrie interviewed a philosophy professor. The good doctor was at pains to prove that philosophy is good for many very practical things. He trotted out the same old horse: philosophy teaches critical thinking, and critical thinking is always in demand. Computer skills come and go, but the ability to think–that’s timeless.
To be perfectly frank, this is a load of nonsense. Philosophy is useless. It has almost no relevance to anything practical or money-making. Nor does it teach critical thinking (if such a thing even exists). Rather, those who are good at ‘critical thinking’ are good at philosophy.
This cuts to the matter. An education in philosophy is useless. A degree in philosophy, though, is probably useful. It takes a fair bit of work and intelligence to get a degree. A B.A., then, is a mark of quality–it is some guarantee that its possessor is bright and hardworking.
It remains a stupid way, though, to get a job: there must be quicker and cheaper ways to prove that you are bright and hardworking than taking 4 years of school.
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