Philosophy and Religion Minor

Why study philosophy and religion?

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” (Socrates)

Philosophy explores the most fundamental questions of human existence. This exploration involves the careful analysis of complex concepts and the evaluation and construction of arguments. By engaging in philosophical inquiries, students can enhance their cognitive abilities and gain a deeper understanding of the nature of reality. Examples of philosophical questions include:

Does God exist? Why is there evil if there is God?
What is it to be a person? Are you the same person over time?
What is the nature of consciousness? Does the soul exist?
What is the relation between the mind and the brain? Can computers think?
What is knowledge? How can we know we are not in the Matrix?
What are religious beliefs about? How can we understand differences among religions?
What is science? Is science compatible with religion?
What is right or wrong? Is abortion/ euthanasia/ capital punishment/war/ same-sex marriage right or wrong?
What is the purpose of having a government? What is the best form of government?
What is a just society? Why should we obey the law?
What is the meaning of life? What is happiness? Is death good or bad?
What kinds of careers do philosophy students have?

What kinds of careers do philosophy students have?

Philosophy is incredibly practical. The skills honed through the study of philosophy, including critical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, persuasive writing, and sound argumentation, can be seamlessly applied across various career fields, such as law, business, information technology, government service, education, medicine, and the ministry. For more information about the marketable value of philosophy in a rapidly changing economy, see and .

TROY’s Philosophy and Religion minor has been instrumental in helping many students gain acceptance into various graduate programs, including Harvard University, the Penn State Law School, the University of Washington Law School, Southern University Law Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the UCLA Medical School. Please check Student Testimonials to learn more about how this popular minor has positively impacted our students’ career paths.

Philosophy also provides a strong preparation for graduate and professional schools. Philosophy students consistently have the highest mean composite scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the highest average scores on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and outperform most majors, including business, on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). For the test records, check this out .

For some examples of what philosophy can do for your career, see below:

Quote: — “Minoring in philosophy directly benefitted me when it came time to take the LSAT—which was a huge factor in my success in law school applications. Many of the skills I learned in philosophy classes transferred into critical thinking and practical analysis of arguments both in the LSAT as well as in every other class at Troy. Because of the philosophy minor, I am a much better debater and critical thinker than I would have been otherwise!”
**Carl Vincent Pratt III** | History Major and Philosophy Minor

Faculty

Joungbin Lim (Ph.D., University of Virginia)

Research interests: metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, epistemology
Courses taught at TROY: Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, Critical Thinking, Logic, Western Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion

Jay Valentine (Ph.D., University of Virginia)

Research interests: World Philosophy, World Religions, Philosophies of Buddhism and Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism
Courses taught at TROY: Introduction to Political Philosophy, World Religions, Ethics, Applied Ethics, Non-Western Philosophies

Rick Garlikov (ABD, University of Michigan)

Courses taught at TROY: Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Ethics, Critical Reasoning, Bioethics, The Meaning of (the Concept of) Love
Research Interests: Ethics, Medical Ethics, Business Ethics, Philosophy and Ethics of Economics, Philosophy of Education, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Art, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Religion, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Analytic Philosophy of a variety of concepts, including "Love"
Essays and books online free at:

Interested in Philosophy and Religion Minor?

Featured Class

Introduction to Political Philosophy (PHI-2201)

Fall 2023 - Dr. Jay Valentine

An upbeat introduction to the major classical sources of political thought and the application of these sources to contemporary political issues in a manner to transcends political divisions.

Testimonials

“Joining the Philosophy and Religion Minor at Troy was one of the best decisions I have made (thanks Dr. Valentine for persuading me my first semester). Throughout the program and classes offered by Dr. Lim and Dr. Valentine, I have learned more than I thought was capable in my undergraduate studies. Especially with pursuing a career in law, my eyes have been opened to necessary critical thinking strategies and I have learned how to handle arguments not only academically, but personally as well. Thanks to Dr. Lim too, I have found some dual programs that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise that will help expand my career even further. This minor is definitely one of the hidden gems on campus that needs to grow and expand so more can find and experience these amazing opportunities.”

Melanie Ford, Psychology and English Major, Philosophy and Religion Minor

“Rather than changing my worldview, the philosophy minor allowed me to critically explore my personal beliefs on personhood and religion. Additionally, the in-class discourses on various ethical and metaphysical topics gave me practice in logically presenting my viewpoints and also exposed me to the perspectives of my classmates and other great thinkers. Quite frankly, I retained a higher proportion of the lessons I obtained from my philosophy minor than my biomedical science major. Skills I improved through this minor such as analytical thinking or problem solving have been transferable to my post-graduate work with my master's degree and now med school. I would encourage all students, particularly those in science majors, to consider picking up this minor or at least taking more philosophy courses.”

Abena Adaboh, Biomedical Science Major and Philosophy and Religion Minor

"The Philosophy and Religion program at Troy provided me with the resources and skills to pursue my goals. The training in analytic thought and formal logic I received aided me in achieving a 165 on the GRE verbal section. The education in Buddhist theology I received aided me in receiving a fully-funded year-long scholarship to study philosophy and religion in Beijing, China. These experiences (among others) provided me the means to submit a competitive application to MA programs at the University of Alabama, Florida State University, and Harvard University. I was offered full funding at all three schools, and I know that I would not have advanced in my career in this way without my experiences in the Philosophy and Religion minor, which prepared me for the next stage of my academic journey."

Charles Taylor, History Major and Philosophy and Religion Minor

"Coming into my Junior year at TROY University, I was still undecided on a minor as nothing had yet really captivated my attention when I had taken courses for different fields of study. That semester the university hired two new professors to reform the Philosophy section of the Department of History and Philosophy. Having sat in on both of these new professors interview lectures, I knew I had found something fun, new, and challenging. This led me to sign up for the minor and begin exploring what classes there were to take. Each class in the minor was something new to me, and the professors expertise guided the classes smoothly while making sure each student had a challenge they could conquer. From Ethics to Logic and from Politics to Religion there is a class for any area of philosophy a student might be interested in, and I can promise you won't be disappointed."

Jeremy Burgess, History Major and Philosophy and Religion Minor

"Intro to Philosophy was the first class that I took where I wasn't challenged to memorize information but I was challenged to actually think for myself. After that class I started reading Ancient Greek philosophy. At first, I was just intrigued, but that quickly turned into a full-blown addiction. I couldn't get enough; my inquisitive mind yearned for more. I immediately declared a philosophy minor. It changed the way I think and observe the world around me, I think differently about problems and interactions.

So, it is hard to give just one example of where I use philosophy in my daily life. I have been forever changed by my philosophical education, Dr. Lim and Dr. Valentine are deeply compassionate about the department and the program at TROY. The knowledge I gained from them is immeasurable and I would not be who I am today without it. I guess a better way to say it might be, that everything I do and say are examples of how I use philosophy in my daily life."

Justin Wooten, Theatre Major and Philosophy Minor

"If you want to learn how to think take a philosophy class. I took my first philosophy class my junior year. After being in class a couple of days I knew I wanted to take more classes so I added philosophy as a minor. I enjoyed the way philosophy classes challenged my worldview. It also equipped be to tackle tough questions and arguments. I believe everyone can benefit for these types of classes. Philosophy classes are also especially helpful for those wanting to pursue law school. I took the LSAT and concepts and skills needed to do well on the test are also taught in philosophy classes."

Cassidy Counter, Economics Major and Philosophy Minor

"I enjoyed taking classes like Logic, Critical Thinking, and Ethics with Dr. Lim, which emphasized on logical reasoning and the study of metaphysics and epistemology. Dr. Valentine’s classes were equally fun for their in-depth analysis of non-western religions and philosophies.

Skills like critical thinking, analytical writing, problem-solving, and argument deconstruction that I had acquired through the Philosophy Minor greatly helped me get a good score in the GRE that I took in my senior year. As a result, I got accepted into multiple doctoral programs at prominent research universities in the country. I plan on using the skills that philosophy has taught me to succeed in my graduate education and beyond into a scientific career."

Abishek Ghimire, Biomedical Sciences Major and Philosophy and Religion Minor

"The classes have helped me reevaluate my beliefs and helped me refine my world view….The skills through classes such as Ethics, Logic, and Critical Thinking have helped me detect the fallacies from the point of view I held and offered clarity. Not limited to that, the classes on Non-Western Philosophies and other selected topics involving religion have helped me to understand how people who are unlike me in terms of their conditioning think. This has been very interesting and helpful in understanding people of different cultures.

Troy has to offer the philosophy and religion major that I can confidently assert, is a fantastic way for a person to embark on the journey of clarity and self-exploration, apart from other perks in professional growth."

Aashish Kafle, Mathematics and Physics Major

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