Ph.D., Philosophy of Education, Loyola University Chicago

So, you’ve taken a course about whether you have free will and what it means to be a sandwich—a philosophy class in other words—and now you’re wondering what possible reasons there might be to make this your major. Sure, it’s fun to talk about whether chairs really exist, but you want to get a job when you graduate. Maybe you’ve also heard the stereotype that you’ll be working at a coffee shop when you graduate or asking whether people want fries with that. Well, we’re here to tell you that not only is philosophy a worthwhile subject in itself, but it’s also something you already do, it is also practical and financially rewarding.

It is worthwhile on its own 

The Greek philosopher Aristotle noted that people take delight in knowing things just for the fun of it. Consider the desire to know trivial facts about the things that interest us; they won’t earn us any money, but it’s just fun to know them. This is reason enough to follow the course of study that interests you. Do you like learning about history? Study history. Do you like learning about frogs? Study biology. Do you like thinking about thinking? Study philosophy.

Philosophy is already a part of your life

You’ve probably heard that philosophy studies the big questions such as: Why is there something rather than nothing? What makes a life worthwhile? and What is the best kind of government? and so forth. Perhaps you’ll be surprised to learn that such questions are not intellectual indulgences for dinner party conversation. On the contrary, they’re practically inescapable. They’re hidden in the ordinary questions that we confront in everyday life. Think of what you’re reading right now: this is a set of reasons meant to show the value of studying philosophy, an argument, in other words. To evaluate whether this is persuasive you have to do some philosophical reasoning. You need to ask whether the reasons are true and whether they logically imply the conclusion (that you should study philosophy). What’s astounding is that you’re in this predicament whenever you evaluate reasons to do or think something, which is to say, all of the time. 

Philosophy trains you in crucial analytical and writing skills that many fields use

These are skills that won’t expire, even as technology and job markets change. That’s because You’ll learn how to read difficult texts, logically analyze what other people say, and work your way through complicated ethical, scientific, economic, interpersonal, and political issues. By the time you graduate, you’ll be a pro at articulating your own thoughts and opinions in a clear and persuasive manner, and respectfully engaging in debate and conversation, even about contentious issues. Those are skills that in the current workforce, that , and . .

Philosophy helps you find a job

Yes, you might think, that sounds nice, but will philosophy actually help me get a job when I graduate? Aren’t I better off with a more ‘practical’ or ‘applied’ degree? The fact is that only a few majors train you for a specific job, and if you ever want to switch jobs, you’ll likely have to get more training down the road. For many jobs, the fact that you have a college degree is more important than what you majored in. So, one of the questions you should ask yourself when picking a major is, “What specific skills are you learning in that major?” Philosophy will train you in lots of highly valued, hard-to-come-by skills. Here’s how those skills translate into the job market and various fields:

Philosophy will give you a leg up in the job hunt itself

Remember all those foundational skills mentioned above, like articulating complex ideas in a clear and persuasive manner? That’s a lot of what goes into the job market process. The ability to summarize an idea concisely will help you when writing your resume. The ability to speak clearly and respectfully about your own point of view will help you when you interview. And the ability to analyze unfamiliar jargon and read between the lines in complicated texts will help you decode job ads and company mission statements.

Philosophy is excellent preparation for law school

Law is basically applied philosophy.  (LSAT). NEIU's Philosophy program has sent scores of students to law school. We've been nearly 100 percent successful in admissions and our students have attended law school at Harvard University, University of Michigan, Indiana University, Marquette University, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, UIC College of Law, Loyola University Law School, and DePaul, among many others. Your philosophy degree will also help you once you’re in law school, where you’ll have to read a lot of dense, jargon-filled texts, articulate persuasive arguments, respond to logical objections, and think about how the history of legal ideas and theories have influenced what people claim about law and government today. 

Philosophical training is an asset in the business world 

Interestingly, many people who get MBAs don’t major in business. To succeed in the business world, you have to know about more than ‘just’ business. The skills that are important for business school, and the business world, sound a lot like what you’ll learn in philosophy: Furthermore, if you’re interested in becoming an entrepreneur, , since it’s one of the best majors for honing your ability , , and . Lastly, , right up there with majors in physics, mathematics, and engineering.

Philosophy is important for studying and practicing medicine

To practice medicine you’ll need more than just philosophy, but as long as you maintain a high GPA and can study for the MCAT, . So having is a good way to prepare for medical school. Liberal arts programs like NEIU’s philosophy program  Beyond that, studying ethics (including our medical ethics class!) can. 

Philosophy is a natural partner of education, administration and management

If you go into education, administration or management, you’re going to spend a lot of time thinking about how other people think, and how best to communicate with, motivate and dialog with other people. For instance, managers need to be able to  Those are all things that you will do in your philosophy classes. 

Philosophical thinking is great for journalism, public policy, non-profits and politics

Journalists and people who work on public policy need to have good non-specialized research skills, know how to talk carefully about contentious issues, know how to write clearly and persuasively, and know how to thoughtfully question and investigate what they read. And if you’re interested in community organizing, philosophy can provide you with a foundation for thinking about what the goals of organizing should be, what are various theories of human nature and human cooperation, and how you can better appeal to people’s motives and build coalitions from groups that disagree on issues. .

Philosophy pairs well with work in counseling, therapy, social work and mediation

Although a lot of people think about philosophy as dealing with abstract issues that are divorced from actual people and their everyday lives, philosophy at NEIU takes seriously the interpersonal dimensions of reasoning, reflection, problem-solving, and communication. As it turns out, Similarly, a lot of philosophical questions and theories undergird social work, relating to what we owe to other people, how to best help and empower other people, and what meaningful interpersonal connections and quality of life look like. 

Philosophy is relevant to STEM fields, especially for theoretical thinking and problem-solving

If you are currently majoring in a STEM field, double-majoring in philosophy can provide excellent synergy for your research and theoretical skills. Not only can you take our Philosophy of Science class, but classes on metaphysics and epistemology provide a great foundation for scientific thinking. In fact, in previous generations, some of the most well-regarded scientists (like Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, and Isaac Newton) all engaged in philosophical thinking. In fact, the practices that we now called “science” used to be called “natural philosophy.” The connection between philosophy and science still exists, and it remains important. Lastly, various technology fields are discovering that , for dealing with data and algorithms. 

Philosophy has a long tradition of dialogue with religious study and ministry

Some might wonder if philosophy is hostile towards religion. While some individual philosophers are skeptical of, or even disparaging towards matters of faith, the history of philosophy in many cultures is intertwined with religious study and ministry. For millennia philosophical thinkers have discussed questions about how to live a good life, what we owe to others, what it means to have faith, and how a theology holds together as a system of thoughts. Many people have found that studying philosophy leads to a better understanding of, and more nuanced relationship with their faith, which is especially helpful if they are pursuing a career in religious ministry. 

What if I already have a major that I like?

Then consider double-majoring or minoring in philosophy! Each major at NEIU teaches a valuable skill set, so philosophy is an excellent pairing with almost any other major. It will reinforce the critical thinking, writing, and communication skills you’ll use in your other major.

But seriously, which industries do philosophy majors actually tend to go into?

Some philosophy departments report a wide range of careers for their graduates: .

How much money do philosophy majors make?

Truth be told, no one has a perfect sense of how choice of major ultimately affects income partly of because it depends what you’re asking about: income right after graduation, income for people who don’t get further training or education, or income over a lifetime (when we know lots of people will probably change jobs and career fields over the course of their life)? Also, it’s unclear how much ‘work’ choice of major is doing, and how much is socioeconomic status dressed up as choice of major. As it currently stands, some , whereas . At the end of the day, you have numerous options for how to sell your labor. Think about what you want your job or career to do for you, and what sorts of skills and experience you want to accrue along the way, as part of your working life, or in addition to your working life. 

Interested in learning more? 

Questions? Email us at philosophy@neiu.edu or call us at (773) 442-5795. If you find yourself loving philosophy, or intrigued by what we’re studying in class, philosophy can play a role in your college career. As you can see, despite what some say, a philosophy degree is far from useless, and it’s not an impractical luxury that only the wealthy can afford. It’s a solid long-term investment in one of your most important assets: your mind. 

Do you want to learn about the fundamental questions of existence? Do you want to explore theories of moral goodness or debate ethical dilemmas like abortion or punishment? Do you want to practice distinguishing good from bad reasoning or truth from BS? Are you interested in the history of philosophy, feminism, or colonialism? Online, remote, or in person, NEIU's Philosophy Program has got what you're looking for! 

Spring 2025 NEIU PHILOSOPHY COURSE OFFERINGS

Questions? Contact Dr. Casey at j-casey1@neiu.edu.

M.A. Communication, Media and Theatre - 91Porn

B.A. Communication, Media and Theatre - 91Porn

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Welcome to the NEIU Philosophy Program Resources page! Here you will find a list of currently available resources for current NEIU Philosophy students and alumni. Should you need additional assistance, or you have suggestions for including other resources, please contact philosophy@neiu.edu.

Declare a Major or Minor

Keep track of your requirements

Philosophy major Course Requirements WorksheeT

Philosophy minor course requirements worksheet​�ċ�ċ�ċ�ċ�ċ

Keep informed of academic opportunities

General resources for Philosophy students, including potential publishing and conference opportunities

Philosophy encylopedias

Philosophy Podcasts

NEIU Career Resources

NEIU's Career Development office is able to assist current students and alumni with resume reviews and job search assistance. You may also want to consider connecting with: 

Pre-Professional Advising

Scholarship opportunities at NEIU

NEIU financial aid

The NEIU Philosophy Colloquium Series began in 2014 and has been a regular department-sponsored event since Spring 2018. Its purpose is to give the Northeastern community access to all of the richness and diversity of contemporary professional philosophy. The Colloquium Series also provides professional philosophers with the opportunity to experience Northeastern firsthand and meet our students and faculty in an academic setting. All of the talks are free and open to the public.

Spring 2025

Our previously scheduled March 6 talk has been canceled.

Upcoming Talks

• Katherine Valde, Ph.D., Loyola University Chicago, "Beyond the Value Free Ideal in Law & Science?"
  April 10, 2025 at 3 p.m.

Past Talks

2024-2025

• , University of Illinois at Chicago, "Doing Oligarchy Better: On the Politics of Effective Altruism.”
• Stacey Goguen, 91Porn,  “Why Politics & Religion Belong in Science (and what we still get wrong about values and objectivity).”
• , Loyola University Chicago, "The Asymmetry in Threat Perception: Military Threats v. Ecological Threats."
• Nathan Wood, City Colleges of Chicago, "The Real Value of Anti-Realism."

2023-2024

• University of Twente, Netherlands, “Political Eschatology and Gender: Information Warfare against Queer Communities.”
• , Oakton College, "Better Living through Pessimism."
• , Governors State University, "The Fire Next Time: Prescribed Burns as Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Epistemic Reparations."
• , Loyola University Chicago, "Justice and The Monty Hall Problem of Public Health."
• Will Behun, McHenry County Community College, "Not so much heretical as insane: myth in classical Gnosticism."
• , Loyola University Chicago, "The Problem of Misplaced Trust and Distrust."

2022-2023

• , University of Illinois at Chicago, "Berkeley's Political Metaphysics."
• , Loyola University Chicago, "Extracting Gold from the Counterfeiter’s Bag: al-Ghazālī on the Tradition of Philosophy in Islam."
• Sophia Mihic, 91Porn, "Freedom, Property, and Privacy: The Political Economy of Abortion and Reproduction After Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization."
• , Chicago-Kent College of Law, "The Inherent Problem with Mass Incarceration."
• , University of Chicago, "Do Billionaires Deserve Their Wealth?"
• Shireen Roshanravan, 91Porn, "Pretending-to-be and Masterful Political Performance."

2019-2020

• , Carnegie Mellon University, "Painfully Literal Dudes."
• , Free University, Amsterdam, “How Epistemic Injustice Can Deepen Disagreement.”
• , University of Chicago, “Is There Such a Thing as being Good or Bad at Philosophy?"
• , Grand Valley State University, "Collapsing Life and Art."
• , 91Porn, “Against a Single History: Luxemburg and a Decolonial Critique of Political Economy.”

2018-2019

• , University of Minnesota, “Recovering Early Modern Women Writers: Some Tensions.”
• *, Marquette University, “ A Relational Analysis of Oppression: Group Injustice and Institutional Mediation.”
• , Northwestern University, “Propaganda for Realists.”
• , Northwestern University, “What does it Mean to Have a Revolution in Culture? Frantz Fanon’s Speculative Method of Critique.”
• , Manchester University, “Philosophy, Democracy, and Mass Incarceration.”
• , Michigan State University, “Theorizing Testimony in Argumentative Contexts.”

2017-2018

• , Vanderbilt University, “The Antinomies of Meta-philosophy.”
• *, University of California, Berkeley, “Dominus before Domination: Harriet Jacobs and the Meaning of Slavery.” 

2016-2017

• John Casey, 91Porn, "Argument Pacifism."

2015-2016

• , Northwestern University, "Does Everything have a Cause?"
• , Northwestern University, "What is Punishment?"

2014-2015

• , Vanderbilt University, "Why We Argue: A Deliberative Democratic Reply to Plato.”

*Denotes scholar as a graduate of 91Porn

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." -Aristotle

A donation to the Department of Philosophy helps ensure a new generation of NEIU students can experience all of the richness that the study of philosophy offers.

Here are some of the ways we currently use the Foundation account:

• Ethics Bowl: The Ethics Bowl has been a central feature of our program for 17 years. Our graduates rate it as one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of their time at NEIU. Your gift pays for registration and travel to the competition.
• Student Awards: Every year, the Philosophy faculty selects one student who works in the major for the award.
• Student Events: A new tradition of the Philosophy program is to take the new graduates out for pizza.
• Student Travel: Some of our students get papers accepted at conferences or gain acceptance to summer programs in philosophy. While some of these programs are free, none of them cover travel. 

It is true that NEIU remains among the most affordable colleges in the United States. It is also true that many of our students receive scholarships. These scholarships, however generous or substantial, often do not cover everything. A gap of a few hundred dollars can force a student to drop a course, take a semester off or worse, drop out of school entirely. Our vision is to generate enough income from our Foundation account to fund scholarships for our very deserving students. We are far from it right now, but we know that our Foundation account generates $1,800 or so in income every year. This can go a long way to ensuring that NEIU students have the same opportunities as students at other colleges. 

Your gift—whatever its size—will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity and continued support.

NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

The University’s professional fundraising staff are ready to answer questions and to work with you. To learn more, please contact Sylvia Daniels, Director of Development, at s-daniels4@neiu.edu or (773) 442-4231.

HOW TO MAKE A SECURE ONLINE GIFT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

1. Click on the “Donate now” button below.
    
2. Under “Designation,” select “Other” from the drop-down menu.
    
3. Copy and paste “Philosophy Fund, 1430” into the “Other Designation” text box. (Note: If you do not include “Philosophy Fund, 1430” your donation will not be designated to the Department of Philosophy, but will go into a general Northeastern fund.)
    
4. If your employer will match donations, be sure to contact your business’ office of Human Resources to supply them with your donation information to double your impact.

Donate Now

To speak with an advisor in the Philosophy Department, contact Dr. John Casey.

Ph.D., Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago (2002)

Books

. (with Scott Aikin) 2022. Bloomsbury.

Read .

REcent Articles and essays

“” (with Scott Aikin) Social Epistemology. Forthcoming.

“” (with Scott Aikin), Res Philosophica, Vol. 101, No. 1, , pp. 163–170, 2024

“?” (with Scott Aikin), Inquiry: Critical Thinking across the Disciplines. 2023.

“” (with Scott Aikin). Argumentation. 37, 323–340, 2023.

“.” (with Scott Aikin). Argumentation 37, 295–305, 2023.

“” (with Katharina Stevens). Ethical Theory and Moral Practice. 2023. 

“.” (with Scott Aikin) Philosophy & Rhetoric. Volume 55, Number 4, 2022, pp. 360-385.

“” Southwest Journal of Philosophy. 38 (2) July 2022. 

“How to have better arguments” (with Scott Aikin). . 2022.

“.” Languages 7: 107. 2022. 

“” (with Scott Aikin). Synthese. 200. 2022.

“” (with Scott Aikin). Argumentation. 36; 249–268, 2022.

"." (with David Godden). Argumentation. 2020. 

“.” Informal Logic. 40 (1) 77-108. 2020,

Room LWH 3085
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5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
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B.A. Liberal Arts, St. John's College (Annapolis, MD)

Ph.D. Philosophy, Boston University 

Books

Overcoming Epistemic Injustice: Social and Psychological Perspectives. Co-edited with Benjamin Sherman. Rowman & Littlefield. 2019. 

Recent Articles and essays

“Hermeneutical Backlash: Trans Youth Panics as Epistemic Injustice.” Co-Written with B. R. George (Carnegie Mellon). Feminist Philosophy Quarterly. 7(4): 1-34. 2021. 

“Is Asking What Women Want the Right Question? Underrepresentation in philosophy and differences in interests.” Dialogue. 57(2): 409-441. 2018. 

“Stereotype Threat, Epistemic Injustice, and Rationality” in Implicit Bias and Philosophy, Volume I. Michael Brownstein and Jennifer Saul, eds. Oxford University Press. 2016. 

Room LWH 3086
91Porn
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

B.A. Philosophy, Union College (Schenectady, New York)

Ph.D. Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago

"Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy" (Open Court Press)

"Radiohead and Philosophy" (Open Court Press)

Room LWH 3084
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5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

Ph.D., Political Science, Johns Hopkins University, 2000

M.A., Political Science, Johns Hopkins University, 1993

B.A., Political Science, University of Florida 1982

“‘the end was in the beginning’: Melville, Ellison and the Democratic Death of Progress in Typee,” Jason Frank, ed. The Political Companion to Herman Melville, University of Kentucky Press, January 2014

“Interpretation, Political Theory, and the Hegemony of Normative Theorizing,” Becoming Plural: The Political Thought of William E. Connolly, Alan Finlayson, ed., Routledge, October 2009

“Facts, Values and ‘Real’ Numbers: Making Sense In and Of Political Science,” with Stephen G. Engelmann and Elizabeth Rose Wingrove, The Politics of Method in the Human Sciences: Positivism and Its Epistemological Others, George Steinmetz, ed., Duke University Press, 2005

“Neoliberalism and the Jurisprudence of Privacy: An Experiment in Feminist Theorizing,” Feminist Theory, 9(2), August 2008

LWH 2074
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University of Sofia, Bulgaria

M.A. Major: Philosophy, Minor: English                          

"Values and Creativity", "Moral Values and AIDS", "Gender Education in Bulgaria", "Education of Philosophy: A View from Inside".

“Gender Education in Bulgarian Schools”, Education (Sofia), No 4, 1998

“Education: A View from Inside”, Education (Sofia), No 5, 1997

“Values and Creativity”, Annual Records of Medical Academy, Sofia 1990

El Centro
91Porn
3390 N. Avondale Ave.
Chicago, IL 60641
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Ph.D., Philosophy of Education, Loyola University Chicago

University of Chicago, Chicago, Il

University of Illinois, Chicago Il

David Waldman studied philosophy at Columbia in New York, University of Chicago, and UIC.  He’s particularly interested in ethics, political philosophy, and the history of  Philosophy. He also has a passion for blues and has performed at clubs around Chicago.

Room LWH 3086
91Porn
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

Each spring, the Philosophy Department is proud to host Inspiring TriVia: The Sarah L. Hoagland Speaker Series. As professor emerita of 91Porn, Dr. Hoagland generously endowed this series to foster philosophical discussion at the intersections of race, class, and gender. Hence the title: Inspire (to breathe life into), and TriVia (the goddess of crossroads).

A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Sarah L. Hoagland for making it all possible.

Spring 2025

"Comedic Resistance"
Dr. Luvell Anderson, University of Illinois
3:05-5:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
Main Campus, BBH Room 102

In times of moral absurdity and political corruption, people often turn to humor as a means of coping or as a tool of resistance. Humor’s use as a cathartic remedy is well established. The popularity of shows like Last Week with John Oliver or The Daily Show, not to mention the political satire that Saturday Night Live routinely offers, are examples. In this talk, I will focus on humor’s use as both a mode and a tool of resistance. I will examine skeptical claims about humor’s potential as an effective means of resistance and the communicative obstacles racialized imagination presents.

is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is the co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Applied Philosophy of Language and The Routledge Companion to the Philosophy of Race. He has published several academic articles on racial humor, racial slurs, hate speech, and hermeneutical impasses. He has also written for venues like The New York Times, Boston Review, HR.com, and Mediapost and has been interviewed on several podcasts. He is currently finishing up a book on the ethics of racial humor, which will be published by Oxford University Press. His latest book project is a philosophical meditation on Dave Chappelle, confrontation, and the relationship between humor, language, and freedom.

Past Lectures

2024

K. Bailey Thomas, Dartmouth College
"Knowing While Black: Deconstructing White Lies and Surviving an Anti-Black World"

2023

Robert J. Gooding-Williams, Columbia University
"Du Bois and the 'Souls of White Folk'"

2022

Ainsley LeSure, Brown University
"Assuming a World: A Phenomenology of Racism"

2021

Kris Sealey, Fairfield University
"When Heads Bang Together: Creolizing and Indigenous Identities in the Americas"

2020

Brian Burkhart, University of Oklahoma
"Indigenous Epistemic Sovereignty Through the Land"

2019

Saba Fatima, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
"#MeToo in Muslim America" 

2018

José Medina, Northwestern University
"Racial Violence and Epistemic Activism"

2017

Falguni Sheth, Emory University
"Race, Vulnerability and Violence"

2016

Mariana Ortega, John Caroll University
"In-Between Selves: World Traveling and Resistance" 

2015

Jacqueline Scott, Loyola University Chicago
"'Truth-tellers Are Not Always Palatable. There is a Preference for Candy Bars:' The Benefits of Racialized and Gendered Discomfort."

2014

Charles Mills, Northwestern University
"Critical Philosophy of Race: The Challenge of Intersectionality"

B.A. Liberal Arts, St. John's College (Annapolis, MD)

Ph.D. Philosophy, Boston University 

Books

Overcoming Epistemic Injustice: Social and Psychological Perspectives. Co-edited with Benjamin Sherman. Rowman & Littlefield. 2019. 

Recent Articles and essays

“Hermeneutical Backlash: Trans Youth Panics as Epistemic Injustice.” Co-Written with B. R. George (Carnegie Mellon). Feminist Philosophy Quarterly. 7(4): 1-34. 2021. 

“Is Asking What Women Want the Right Question? Underrepresentation in philosophy and differences in interests.” Dialogue. 57(2): 409-441. 2018. 

“Stereotype Threat, Epistemic Injustice, and Rationality” in Implicit Bias and Philosophy, Volume I. Michael Brownstein and Jennifer Saul, eds. Oxford University Press. 2016. 

Room LWH 3086
91Porn
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States