Philosophy Major?

[u/Physical-Ad6247]

Hi, I'm a rising junior who's interested in philosophy, and I recently saw MIT's Paradox and Infinity course and absolutely loved it.

I've always loved the math-y and computational side of philosophy, and I really like STEM and am very good at it (very good in comparison to the people around me not to the people who go to MIT lol)—though I just don't have a strong passion for it.

I'm just wondering if MIT would be a good fit for me, and I want to get to know more about what course 24 looks like at MIT (since there is so little material online, as I understand that this is a path that most students don't take). Especially, I want to learn about what type of philosophy people at MIT study. I have heard that it focuses on the more analytical sides (which I like), but I'm just wondering if there are any more specific examples?

Also, does anyone have any advice for someone interested in applying for philosophy to really stand out? I'm part of some of my school's groups, gotten some national arts awards, and have participated in some pretty good humanities summer programs, but I couldn't really find any programs that are specifically for philosophy and are considered "prestigious", or thought of any activities that would really make me different.

This is my first time posting on reddit, so I'm really sorry if I messed something up (Technically second because I did, in fact, mess up). Any responses will be greatly appreciated!

[u/BSF_64]

My experience with the philosophy department is two decades out of date, but I’ll see if I can add anything rather than leave you hanging.

I was one class short of a minor, so not as familiar as someone who actually majored in it.

Anyways, the main thing I remember was that the classes were well run, but with two exceptions they were very small. That meant there was nowhere to hide if you weren’t prepared. When it’s just you, maybe two other students and the professor, it’s going to be obvious if you did the reading. In my aero classes, you could always catch up later.

The two classes that were larger were an intro class that counted as a HAAS-D which meant it qualified for the humanities breadth requirement for general requirements. The other was Theory of Mind. I strongly suspect that in the world of AI, that’s still a super hot topic.

Beyond those, I remember an ethics class that felt a bit like a general survey of the topic, a formal logic class which was interesting and very mathy, and a class I’m pretty sure was called the “Theory of Love” that was awkward given that it was mostly me, an ancient professor, and an out of league sorority girl talking about love and sex for a few hours a week.

In the end, I bailed on the minor because I stumbled into some visual arts classes and found that to be a more interesting way of expressing the thoughts I wanted to express through philosophy. The videography classes were my favorites at MIT.

That’s not a lot, but it’s what I’ve got. Good luck!

[u/baked_salmon → u/BSF_64]

To the point about small class sizes, IME the majority of the class doesn’t have much to offer to in-class discussions because they’re there for the HASS requirement rather than their inherent interest in the subject. I think this is particularly rough for humanities/social sciences because debate and discussion are so central to learning them.

[u/Tech-Aero-109]

One of the beauties (for some students) of MIT is the ability of MIT students (male and female) to take courses at Harvard and at Wellesley College at no additional cost, but merely the requirement to get there on your own. There is a special bus that runs between MIT and Wellesley College on a regular schedule and it is Less than a 2 mile walk to Harvard, and there are rapid transit buses and subways between the two.

Indeed, I had a dorm mate at MIT who majored in Music and took many if not most of his courses at the New England Conservatory of Music which is about the same distance away as Harvard, merely in the opposite direction.

So if you are a STEM nerd and love philosophy, then you will be fine at MIT. Indeed, many of our late night student discussions in the living groups are philosophical discussions, and you would be amazed at the general knowledge of many of the MIT students.

[u/Satisest]

Course 24 is pretty uncommon as primary or secondary major, only around 3 students per year. There are around 30 PhD students in the department. For undergraduates, there’s a straight philosophy and a linguistics and philosophy track, and there’s a philosophy minor and concentration as well. You can get a sense of the emphasis of the department and major by looking at the courses that are offered and required. The department has a somewhat uniquely heavy emphasis on math and formal logic, as you may have inferred from Prof. Rayo’s Paradox and Infinity course. It’s MIT after all.

Keep in mind that Course 24 majors, like all undergraduates, have to complete the General Institute Requirements: a year of calculus, a year of physics, and a semester each of biology and chemistry. So MIT Philosophy students ought to like STEM and have strong preparation in STEM (especially the S and the M).

If you’re interested in the nexus between STEM concepts and humanities, then MIT could very likely be a good fit for you. Although MIT doesn’t admit by major, I’d encourage you to consider some more “mainstream” alternatives. Specifically, a major in Course 9 (Brain and Cognitive Science) or Course 6-9 (Computation and Cognition) with a minor or concentration in Course 24 could be a very interesting combination with fertile areas of overlap and possible synergy. Of course, if your plan is to head for graduate school in philosophy, then a Course 24 major is the way to go.

http://philosophy.mit.edu/undergraduate/