Overview

What is Philosophy?

The conventional definition of “philosophy” is the love of wisdom. However, “wisdom” is a difficult term to define because one may not know what constitutes wisdom and whose wisdom we are talking about. Wisdom is found in every culture and no single culture can claim to possess the ultimate answer and knowledge. In the past, philosophers were considered to be the know it all people.  In the West, at one time, philosophy was even considered as the grand syntheses of all knowledge.

However, philosophy is not a stagnant body of knowledge. Rather, philosophical knowledge is a continuous, on going reflective process. Philosophy should be best understood as an intellectual and mental activity.  It allows one to activate and stimulate one’s mind to reflect, critically assess and evaluate all human experiences and interests. As such, philosophy can provide one with no definitive answer on any one aspect of human knowledge. What is deemed to be an accepted truth at one time may help one to understand the world by whatever its merits at that particular historical juncture. But one must refrain from blindly accepting that as an absolute truth and end of all human inquiry. This paradoxical nature of philosophy, however, can emancipate one from tyrannical beliefs and dogmas and enable one to continue questioning the fundamental assumptions in all human knowledge.  The study of philosophy, therefore, is twofold.  On the one hand, it helps one to know and understand the remarkable accumulation of philosophical reflections of all civilizations.  On the other hand, philosophy expands our perspectives, influences conduct, and explore, various theories concerning knowledge, values and the nature of reality.  It provides fresh approaches to evaluate and critique diverse established theories. It facilitates and nurtures the desire for a continuous intellectual curiosity and enables the pursuit and entertains whatever other possible alternatives there yet may be. 

If I major in Philosophy, what kind of job can I get?

Philosophy courses not only serve as a core of a liberal arts education, but also can transfer as part of the liberal arts requirements for majoring in other disciplines.  Philosophy serves as good preparation for careers in law, management, medicine, government administration, educational research and other social science disciplines in any four-year institution and graduate school.  Because we offer a wide selection of philosophy courses at Canada, a student can receive an AA degree with a major in philosophy and can transfer to most major four-year institutions to receive a BA in philosophy.  Though a philosophy major may not prepare you for any specific area of employment, nevertheless, it will provide you with a solid foundation for other areas of academic pursuit.  Above all, it will help you develop a critical and philosophical outlook that will endure throughout your academic advancement.

If I receive an AA degree in Philosophy, can I transfer to a four-year college?

Yes, you definitely can.  We offer most of the courses that you need to finish your AA degree in philosophy and to transfer to a four-year institute. 

Program Learning Outcomes:

Students completing this program will be able to:

• Analyze social science concepts and theories.
• Evaluate diverse viewpoints related to the human experience.
• Produce evidence-based arguments.