Creating entrepreneurs has never been the purpose of a philosophy department, nor is creating a business typically the goal of a philosophy student. And that is a good thing. Reading Descartes, for example, while wondering how his work might tie into ones start-up would be confusing at best. Yet, as cash-strapped colleges and universities begin to consider cutting funding for the humanities — and, in particular, philosophy — it is vital to consider to full value of this discipline and the fact that it may manifest itself over time in surprising ways.

By: Steve Ganz

[. . .] While having a background in philosophy may not be enough to start and manage a successful business, philosophy grads do bring a unique set of skills to new businesses. [They include:]

• Generating unique ways of viewing existing problems
• Seeing themes and patterns
• Organizing people and ideas into systems
• Crafting well-reasoned arguments
• Reading and writing well

(For more about the value of these skills in Entrepreneurship, please read the article)