Is Philosophy the right choice for you?

Are you naturally a deep thinker? Are you rarely satisfied with the answers and explanations you receive to your questions about the most profound issues of life? Do you find yourself going on to ask more and more questions? Did you enjoy pondering the ancient issues raised in ‘The Matrix’ or was it just another film? Do you agree with Socrates who said ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’? Are you interested in an intellectual challenge, a journey that will challenge, stimulate and stretch you?

If your answer to any of the above is “Yes”, then perhaps you should seriously consider taking Philosophy at A Level.

The sorts of things we study include: The Theory of Knowledge, The Philosophy of Religion, The Philosophy of Mind, and the work of Descartes and Hume. This all sounds rather serious and clever, but we do have fun in the process. There is of course the misconception in the popular mind that Philosophy is only for the academic elite, but this is not the case. Philosophy is an increasingly popular choice at A Level by a whole range of students, and all students who enjoy thinking for themselves gain a tremendous amount from studying it.

These are just some of the benefits you will gain:

•Independent thinking – doing philosophy is excellent training in thinking for yourself.

•Analytical skills – developing the ability to spot the strengths and weaknesses in arguments.

•The opportunity to engage with and pit your wits against some of the great minds of history.

•Philosophy makes you a better and more rigorous academic all round.

•The chance to challenge some of the pre-conceptions we have of the world and the assumptions about it we make.

•Philosophy encourages open-mindedness and tolerance.

•An impressive pedigree for future employers in many fields, e.g. Law, Accountancy, Journalism, and so on; indeed any career where you are required to think!