From Benjamin Smart.
SENATOR Ben Shenton, in a proposal to cut funding to ‘soft subjects’ at university, writes the following:
‘In terms of Jersey students, the following soft subjects are popular – philosophy – various colleges.
Philosophy, like sociology and psychology, is one of those degrees that people do when they’re not quite sure what vocation they want to follow. It’s a fun-time four years, open to stoners, egocentrics and those that love the sound of their own voice, who will finish the course even more confused at what they want to do in life and probably end up working at a convenience store.’
It is saddening to see that the amusing stereotype of arts students at university is taken seriously by a senior politician in the Island. To claim, in an official proposed amendment (Page – 36 P.99/2010 Amd.(7)) to the Higher Education Budget, that philosophy is for ‘stoners’ would be considered extremely offensive by many; not just by philosophy students now working in the Island, but by numerous high-ranking politicians who would, by most people’s standards, be considered significantly senior to Ben Shenton. The current Prime Minister and three of the five candidates for leader of the opposition studied philosophy as part of their degree – Hardly convenience store workers.
The list does not stop there. Five winners of the Nobel Peace Prize and nine winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature read philosophy at university. Philosophers focussing on formal logic contributed so much to the development of computer science, that it’s quite reasonable to claim computing as we know it would not exist without their input; philosophers have contributed to the development of advanced mathematics, to legal policies on ethical matters like abortion and euthanasia, and even to the forming of the US Constitution, which is widely thought to be based primarily on the philosophy of John Locke.
Even if Ben Shenton were to argue that these were exceptions rather than the rule, and that most philosophy graduates do indeed work in convenience stores, perhaps the senator might be interested to know that philosophy graduates are extremely popular with employers – increasingly so in recent years.
The vast majority of philosophy graduates find graduate jobs within six months of graduation (See the Guardian 20 November 2007); many in the finance sector so crucial to the Island. Why?
Because reading philosophy develops an individual’s ability to critically analyse arguments, to question assumptions, to formulate clear and developed arguments, and to be careful to analyse even the smallest details in literature. These are qualities essential to success in many careers.
While it is clear that public spending needs to be cut, and even that encouraging students not suited to university studies to embark on apprenticeships, to pick out philosophy, sociology and psychology as soft subjects is absurd.
Nobody who has any understanding of the more sophisticated debates in any of these disciplines would make such a claim, and to see them publically degraded is appalling. An apology would certainly be appropriate.
