Philosophy Langara College

Overview

Philosophy is the discipline which develops the ability to think clearly about fundamental questions, including those that frequently lie at the root of other disciplines. Philosophy asks questions about the nature of knowledge, reality, truth, consciousness, freedom, moral obligation, aesthetic value, happiness, justice, and virtue--questions asked by those who seek to understand themselves, their society, and their world. We welcome students who are interested in questions of this order.

The Philosophy courses at Langara College provide students with opportunities to acquire one of the key foundations of a liberal arts education and to prepare them for further studies in philosophy, including completion of an undergraduate degree in philosophy.

Career

Philosophy is an excellent background for pre-professional training, for example, in law, journalism, or business management and administration. There are also specific careers in philosophy. In addition to academic careers, there are career programs in many universities for training ethicists in health care, business, and human and animal research. Some high school teaching certification programs now have philosophy as a specialty and require undergraduate training in philosophy. However, British Columbia does not yet have such programs.

Philosophy majors rank first in verbal ability on the standardized graduate school admission tests (GRE). They rank second and third, respectively, in overall performance on business graduate admission (GMAT) and law school admission (LSAT) tests. (Mathematics students rank first on the GMAT; mathematics and economics graduates rank first and second on the LSAT.)

The best reason, however, for studying philosophy remains that it will develop your critical and analytical reasoning skills. In short, studying philosophy will give you a better mind. These skills are needed in all contexts requiring problem solving and effective communication of ideas and arguments – which is to say they are applicable to all aspects of human life.