Is it impractical to major in philosophy? Recent grad, now at Stanford, doesn’t think so: A look at Saratoga’s cultural and academic imbalance

“Freedom comes in awareness, understanding that which we are subject to if we live passively without attention.”

Sound like it was spoken by a true philosopher? Well it was. 

Truman Chen, a ‘13 alumnus and freshman at Stanford University, is one of the few recent grads to study philosophy in college, a major that some don’t consider advisable in the modern economy. The years have seen a progressive decline in students interested in the humanities. 

According to a recent New York Times article titled “As interest fades in the humanities, colleges worry,”  the percentage of humanities majors in colleges today is 7 percent, as opposed to 14 percent in 1970. Stanford, for instance, has 45 percent of its faculty in the humanities, but only 15 percent of the students are humanities majors.

In the article, author Tamar Lewin said interest in the humanities has plummeted in recent years, and colleges are desperately trying to bolster their humanities programs as a result. 

Chen is one of the few bucking the trend. 

“It's fashionable nowadays to joke about the utility of the humanities, and this attitude becomes perpetuated by the lack of courage to really address the issue,” he said. “People forget this — that science cannot answer everything, and that science itself is a branch of philosophy.” 

Chen was first introduced to philosophy by his father, who often made philosophical claims.

“I wanted to train in my mind to be better at finding logical fallacies both in other people's words and my own. It's surprising once you realize how illogical we really are when we speak,” Chen said.

Chen said that many parents, especially at SHS, are wary of their children majoring in philosophy, given the perceived lack of job options open to philosophers and that he feels majoring in the humanities is discouraged not only at SHS, but across the Silicon Valley.

“We live in an age dominated by the advances of science,” Chen said. “Humanities are discouraged as a major because of their lack of marketability when compared to jobs that require, for example, computer science.”

Chen feels this is a practical reality that often forces students out of the humanities, and that Saratoga High is well known for having more science-oriented students than humanities students. 

Last year, out of the 1,186 AP tests taken by Saratoga students, 650 of the tests administered were in math or science, as opposed to 536 tests being administered in the Humanities, including alternative study art, psychology, and music theory. For some of the AP tests, students self-studied for and took at another school. 

“It makes sense for parents to be worried about majoring purely in the humanities,” Chen said, “especially when the economy is so rough and unforgiving.” 

 

A culture of left-brainisms

Situated in Silicon Valley, Saratoga is chock full of children whose parents have made their fortunes from engineering, possibly influencing the students to focus their energies on the math and sciences.

Social studies department chair Kim Anzalone wishes there were more students interested in the humanities.

“At Saratoga, the social studies department has worked tirelessly to build our electives program by offering [classes] 1968, The Cold War, AP European History, and History in Film,” Anzalone said. “However, we constantly have to struggle with the limited number of sign ups because Saratoga does not have a large enough student body to accommodate numerous humanities electives.”

AP Language teacher Jason Friend believes that parents may be underestimating the value of humanities majors.

“I agree that it is important to keep the practical and long-term implications in mind when choosing a major,” Friend said, “but I think that well-meaning parents sometimes don't understand that majoring in the humanities does not necessarily prevent long-term success.”

Friend, who taught Chen in AP Language and Composition last year, said he believes a major in philosophy can lead to several career options, including law, business, and neuroscience, among others.

When at Saratoga High, Chen made sure to spread his love of philosophy to students and staff. He started the philosophy club, which is still active. Additionally, in his junior year, Chen did his History Day project on Epicurus, a relatively obscure philosopher, who in Chen’s words, planted “the seeds for Humanism, thus bringing about the Scientific Revolution.”

Although Chen is currently undeclared, he said he plans to pursue a dual major in computer science and philosophy. 

“What I want to major in has been heavily influenced by my what is essentially an obsession with philosophy,” Chen said. “I can't let it go.”