Alumni

Thomas Wolfe ( B.S. Philosophy, 2020)

"Studying philosophy taught me how to approach questions logically and thoughtfully, and how to analyze information... It also helps me think about the ethical issues that tend to arise in medicine—of which there is no shortage." 

Read more of our interview with Thomas here. 

Dr. Rowan Bell (B.S. Philosophy, 2014)

"Philosophy is equal parts challenging and rewarding. To do it well, you have to learn to change the way you approach ideas; but if you can achieve that, it can make you better at being a person."

Read more of our interview with Rowan here.

Shelby Purdy (B.A. Philosophy, 2016)

"Through philosophy, I can communicate my worldviews and understand others' worldviews on a deeper level. The logic, writing, and communication skills obtained through my philosophy degree have also allowed me to better grapple with the social and political realities we find ourselves in."
Read more of our interview with Shelby here. 

Marcianne O'Day (B.S. Philosophy, 2011)

"By majoring in philosophy, I had the kind of broad and engaging educational experience I was hoping for. It was definitely a good choice.
. . . The biggest advantage philosophy has afforded me outside of work is that it has improved my ability to evaluate ideas and authority in general.  This has made so many aspects of living easier and more meaningful."

Read more of our interview with Marcianne here.

Aneel Deshmukh (B.S. Philosophy, 2011)

"I think that majoring in Philosophy was crucial to my personal and professional development because it helped provide a framework for critical thinking as well as opened my mind to different lines of thought regarding areas such as ethics, metaphysics, and political philosophy, which I find extremely relevant to my own personal interests."

Read more of our interview with Aneel here.

Emily Roberts (B.A., B.S. Philosophy, 2011)

"[A philosophy degree] prepared me well for law school with the ability to read complex material and write about it. It's also an awesome conversation piece. I love replying the common question of 'what did you major in?' with 'philosophy!'"

Read more of our interview with Emily here.

Kevin Carlson (B.A. Philosophy, 2016)

"Critical thinking is critical to my job as an attorney. So too writing forceful and correct arguments. Many people seem to believe that lawyers simply bloviate to obscure weak substance with confident form. (Some surely do--but please try not to hold them against the rest of us.) In fact, law requires a deep commitment to sound reasoning, uncovering the truth, and instantiating justice. These commitments sound philosophical because they are, and a philosopher's toolkit will serve any attorney well."

Read more of our interview with Kevin here.

Hunter Baker (B.S. Philosophy, 2006)

"Philosophy helps you examine complex questions about yourself, your community, and the world at large. It teaches you how to solve problems (or at least how to attack a problem). It teaches you that discourse and research are beneficial to uncovering truths. I think that this is also why it is a difficult study…it’s not black and white and sometimes there isn’t one right answer (unless we’re in symbolic logic). Anyway, long winded way of saying that I love that I have a degree in philosophy...."

Read more of our interview with Hunter here.