The Practical Value of Philosophy and The Humanities

This focuses on the personal and professional value of philosophy and the humanities. Michael Strong, author of "Be the Solution" and "The Habit of Thought" and co-founder of FLOW -- an innovative non-profit aimed at promoting entreprenurial solutions to the world's problems, talks about the importance of philosophy and meaninfgul education. In Michigan, which has been especially hard hit by the recession (with GM’s bankruptcy dealing another blow), humanities and philosophy majors are few and far between. According to the Humanities Indicators Prototype, “The humanities’ share of college degrees is less than half of what it was during the heyday in the mid- to late ’60s”. And during hard economic times, when money and marketable skills are on the minds of individuals seeking higher education, the value of the humanities and of philosophy is not obvious. In this show, we discuss why philosophy and the humanities are extremely practical, not only for one’s personal life, but for one’s professional life as well.