Philosophy and Religious Studies as academic subjects address head-on the deepest and most profound questions of human existence—questions that human beings have grappled with for pretty much as long as there have been human beings, and that intelligent people have addressed systematically for more than two-and-a-half millennia. What distinguishes genuine knowledge from mere opinion? Do I freely choose to perform any of my actions, or are they all just the end result of prior causes operating according to determining forces, ultimately beyond my control (genes, environment, neurochemicals)? Will my conscious mind survive the death of my physical body and nervous system? How do the basic tenets of the world's major religions compare and contrast with one another? Are ethical standards relative to culture or historical periods, or do at least some ethical standards apply to the actions of all people, in all cultures, at all times? And if at least some do, which ones? How can we best resolve the ethical dilemmas that new technologies—medical, communications, security—inevitably raise? Do science and religion genuinely conflict with each other, and if so, how should we resolve those conflicts? And most important, for any answer we offer to any of these questions, why? Why think that's the correct answer?

But what of practicality? "What can I do with a philosophy degree?" How about being "America's mayor"? Rudy Giuliani studied philosophy in college. How about being a premier martial artist and actor? Bruce Lee did, too. How about being a Hollywood icon? Richard Gere. A current Supreme Court justice? Stephen Breyer. A famous movie critic? Gene Siskel. The winningest currently active NBA coach? Phil Jackson. Pope? John Paul II. A print and TV journalist? Juan Williams and Stone Phillips both. A White House Press Secretary? Tony Snow. A U.S. Secretary of Education? William Bennett (Bennett earned a doctorate degree in Philosophy). An Academy Award-wining filmmaker? Wes Anderson. CEO of a major high-tech corporation? Carleton Fiorina (Hewlett-Packard). A Prime Minister of Canada? Paul Martin. The list of well-known philosophy students across all the professions goes on.

Do you aspire to graduate or professional school after you finish your undergraduate degree? If you plan to go to graduate school, many disciplines require you to take the GRE (Graduate Records Exam). On the most recent years for which full analyses have now been completed, Philosophy majors scored FIRST among all academic majors on both the Verbal and the Analytic Reasoning portions of the GRE. And among all majors surveyed—more than 70—Philosophy majors even finished 15th on the Quantitative (Math) portion of the GRE, trailing only behind students in the hard sciences, math, engineering, computer science, and economics, and bettering the performances of biology, all other social science, and all humanities majors. Is Law School in your future plans? You'll have to take the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) when you apply. Philosophy and Religion majors as a group consistently have ranked SECOND in their average cumulative score among all majors taking the LSAT, behind only Physics/Math majors—and better than Political Science, Economics, History, Criminal Justice, and English majors.

The reason for these superior performances by Philosophy and Religion students, in the classroom, on standardized tests, and beyond college, actually is quite simple. Grappling with the deepest and most profound questions of human existence, mastering what some of the smartest humans throughout history have said in answer to them, and confronting these questions and answers critically, in reading, writing, and public discussions, MAKES YOU SMARTER. No matter what avenues you pursue after college, you'll come away from studying academic Philosophy and Religion with an set of intellectual skills that very few other majors can match.

So come find us. We're not that hard to find anymore. We've moved recently, and now occupy offices on the second floor of Etheredge Hall, right near the center of campus. We've rejuvenated the Philosophy and Religion Club for interested undergraduate students. We've rejuvenated our Friday afternoon visiting speaker series. You might find exactly the intellectual challenge you've been looking for on this campus—not to mention a big payoff down the line, beyond college. Just ask Rudy Giuliani or Richard Gere.

--John Bickle, Ph.D.
Professor and Head
Department of Philosophy and Religion