eli5, how do philosophers get their job?

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Like I understand that a lot of them are professors at first, but who just goes “I’m gonna pay this person to think and probably be sad”

Is it all just the books and speeches?

In: Economics

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Philosophy has some nice applications in business as well; ethics surrounding AI and what to do if intelligent extraterrestrial life has employed classical philosophers to theologian monks

Anonymous 0 Comments

Basically, yes. There is no company that employs “philosophers” ; some of them may work in academia (but then it is not just “thinking”, but mostly teaching and doing research) ; the others live off books or, most often have another job at the same time.

Anonymous 0 Comments

What, your local epistemology factory isn’t hiring?

Anonymous 0 Comments

If you’re Descartes, the Queen of Sweden invites you to come to her court and think really hard and be her personal tutor because she really likes philosophy, but she also likes getting up really early to talk about philosophy, and you’re not a morning guy, so you literally drop dead about it.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Most philosophers work at universities, and have teaching positions in addition to their research. However, some really are just researchers or authors, publishing for others to read their work. Occasionally, you also see philosophers as consultants, though generally not on philosophy *per se.* For example, an author might hire a philosopher whose focus is philosophy of science, as a consultant for a book on science education and history.

Philosophers may also find employment as journalists, counselors (non-medical ones, obviously), public speakers, speechwriters, or a handful of other professions. More or less, anything to do with knowing thought and language in an argumentation sense. Philosophy also often overlaps with mathematics, as logic, epistemology, and axiology are areas of thought shared between the two disciplines.

In that way, it’s much like most other humanities degree. It may land you a job in the specific field you studied. Or it may land you a different job that simply *makes use of* the skills you had to develop as part of earning a philosophy degree.