“THE PHILOSOPHY OF ONE CENTURY IS THE COMMON SENSE OF THE NEXT.” – HENRY WARD BEECHER

The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “phileo” meaning love, and “sophia” meaning wisdom. Φιλοσοφία literally translates to “love of wisdom.” The origin of this study is pure beauty. To encourage young minds to embrace their love of wisdom lays the foundation for a strong society in years to come. Philosophy has been and still is a staple of higher education.

When I first heard that MTSU was considering cancelling this program, I was absolutely appalled. Philosophy is a critical part of a student’s education. From philosophy, we learn to understand and appreciate logic and critical thinking, a class that first inspired me to pursue a minor in philosophy. I later converted that minor to a major. How can we expect to be productive members of our communities if we lack the basic skills of how to form a logical argument? How are we to understand confusing jargon in contracts if we don’t understand the rules of deduction?

Without philosophy, we would have no study of ethics. Ethics are an essential part of building one’s character. Understanding ethics is a way our students begin to understand themselves. It forces them to think about how they would react in certain difficult situations, and affords them the opportunity to discuss and explore those reactions among peers and educators. Is it ethical to deny a student such an education when he or she is paying hard-earned money for that education? It is certainly a topic that would create some intriguing classroom discussion.

Philosophy has roots in all that we choose to study: foundations of mathematics, philosophy of art, religion, music theory. What other form of study allows students to explore aesthetics, the mind, science, Asian thought, language, the African-American experience, and existentialism? Philosophy is perhaps one of the few majors that provides a well rounded education, one that truly appreciates the importance and contributions of other areas of study.

I hope, for the sake of my generations and generations to come, that you remove philosophy from your list of “expendable” majors. Since when has the solution of a university been less education? I challenge you to find new ways to address the budget issues that do not make a mockery of the university as an institution.