Varsity Tutors can help you get more out of your philosophy course by helping you connect with a highly qualified philosophy tutor. Philosophy tutors can provide you with a unique academic advantage in a challenging subject area, personalized instruction. Personalized tutoring is an invaluable resource for those who are finding the subject matter challenging and for those who are thriving in their class and want to explore topics in more depth. Continue reading for more information on how philosophy tutoring can benefit you.
What is Philosophy?
Philosophy is a way of thinking about the world around you; from your immediate environment to the society around you and even the nature of the universe, time, and reality itself. People often take for granted that the way they think is the way everyone else around them thinks or should think. Philosophical inquiry can take you beyond your personal understandings and ask you to question what you know and what you believe to be true. For this reason, philosophy can be intimidating for some people. A philosophy tutor can help make the process easier by diving deeper into individual topics that may prove more challenging.
A philosophy tutor can make it easier to work with those ideas that are so foreign to one's own understanding as to seem completely wrong at first glance. Philosophy tutoring can give you a space to put aside personal beliefs and judgments of right or wrong to move to a place of curiosity. Instead of looking for how various philosophies support or undercut your own you can begin working with the questions of why those other beliefs were developed and how those philosophers supported those beliefs from an objective rather than a subjective point of view.
Philosophies differ based on time and location, this is one of the many things that makes studying philosophy so fascinating! Why does one culture consider an action good while another considers it evil? Why have cultural norms evolved one way in one part of the world and in a completely different way in another area? No matter what time period or geographical location you study, you will find yourself confronted with the philosophy of that place and time which must be fully evaluated if the historical events and people are to be understood. To do otherwise would be to take those events and people out of the context of their own philosophy and impose modern philosophical concepts and societal constructs in a way which will make it more difficult to understand the intrinsic motivations of both the people and events.
What are Some of the Benefits of Studying Philosophy?
Not everyone who is searching for "philosophy tutoring near me" is interested in pursuing philosophy as a career. In fact, many of those search for "philosophy tutors near me" have probably found themselves in a philosophy class as a requirement for a completely different degree. If you landed in your philosophy class and are worried about the complexity of the subject, philosophy tutoring is a great way to give yourself the academic support you need.
The first thing you need to understand whether you're in a philosophy class as a philosophy major or as an unwilling participant is, the skills you develop while studying different schools of philosophy are as important as the philosophical principles themselves. Studying philosophy will expand your mind and give you an entirely different perspective in all areas of your life. It will challenge you to look at things in new ways and help you gain a greater understanding of where certain beliefs, customs, and societal norms originated.
In the table below you will find a concise list of a few of the benefits of studying philosophy.
Benefits of Studying Philosophy
- Improve logical thinking skills
- Improve problem-solving
- Ability to assess solutions
- Improve communication skills
- Develop independent thinking skills
- Increase perspective
- Understand the thoughts of others
- Learn about the origins of ideas and concepts we experience every day
- Draw relationships with people and ideas of the past
Working independently with a philosophy tutor can help amplify the benefits of studying philosophy.
What is Involved in Earning a Philosophy Degree?
After taking a philosophy course you may realize you want to make a career in the field or one which relies heavily on philosophical principles. If you are interested in pursuing a philosophy degree there are a wide range of courses which may be required. Your philosophy tutor may be able to help you with many of these associated courses. For a list of typical courses you may take as part of a philosophy degree, please see the table below.
Sample Courses for a Philosophy Degree
- Elementary Logic
- Symbolic Logic
- History of Ancient Philosophy
- Modern Philosophy
- Existentialism
- Classical Philosophers
- Philosophy of Religion
- Theory of Knowledge
- Language and Meaning
- Philosophy and Literature
- Modern Ethical Theories
- Political Philosophy
- Aesthetics
- Metaphysics
- Mathematical Logic
Why Work With a Tutor?
Working with a philosophy tutor has many benefits. One of the most valuable benefits is the personalized instruction philosophy tutors can provide. You see, when you are in a traditional classroom the teacher has a predefined set of learning objectives they must cover as part of the course. They also have a preferred teaching style which may or may not be compatible with your learning style. While these two things will likely combine to create an effective learning environment for most students, there are some students who will find the environment detrimental to their learning process.
Working with a philosophy tutor gives you the freedom to review any of the topics with which you desire greater clarity. While your classroom instructor may provide time in each class to answer some questions, they will very rarely go back over entire sections or spend a significant amount of time reviewing individual student's questions. This is especially true for large courses with hundreds of students. Philosophy tutors can spend the necessary time because they are working only with one student. Your needs are the entire focus of the study session and each lesson is customized for you. Your personal tutor can also help you develop time management strategies and provide study tips for when you are studying independently.
Philosophy is one of those subjects that often requires a lot of writing. If you find you are having trouble expressing yourself in research papers or essays, your personal tutor can work with you to strengthen your writing and research skills.
Finally, philosophy tutors have the time to get to know you better than a professor. Your tutor will be able to take into account your personal learning style and preferences and use that knowledge to customize your learning experience in a way that will make the information more accessible. Sometimes all a student needs is to have the information presented in a slightly different way before they can truly understand and integrate that information.
Is Philosophy Tutoring Near Me the Right Solution?
Philosophy tutoring is the right solution for you if you find yourself struggling with your philosophy course or want to get more from it. But that doesn't necessarily mean that a tutor needs to be in close physical proximity to you. In fact, there are many reasons you may want to consider working with a tutor in an online environment such as the one provided by Varsity Tutors.
You have very little control over the scheduling of your university classes, and if you work with someone locally, it may be difficult to find times each week that are convenient for both you and the tutor. By working face-to-face with a philosophy tutor online, you gain all of the benefits traditionally associated with private tutoring and you have greater scheduling flexibility. It's important to set yourself up for success whenever possible, and ensuring that when you meet with your tutor is at an optimal time for you is a key to sticking to the schedule and receiving the assistance you need to support your philosophy studies.
What Can I Study During Philosophy Tutoring?
There are many topics that can be covered in a philosophy class or within a philosophy degree. Some of the most common topics can be found in the table below.
Philosophy Topics (non-comprehensive)
- Epistemology
- Aesthetics
- Applied ethics
- Professional ethics
- Ethics of artificial intelligence
- Research ethics
- Medical ethics
- Business ethics
- Bioethics
- Propositional logic
- Modal logic
- Predicate logic
- Ontology
- Philosophy of mind
- Philosophy of space and time
- Philosophy of mathematics
- Philosophy of law
- Sophism
- Stoicism
- Platonism
- Epicureanism
- Eastern philosophy
- Scholasticism
- Analytic philosophy
It's important to note that your philosophy tutor is not limited to the list above or even the curriculum in your class syllabus. This is merely a starting point of some of the topics you can work on with your personal tutor.
Can Philosophy Tutors Near Me Help Me With Test Prep?
Your philosophy tutor can help you study for specific exams. Whether you are preparing for a unit test or a final exam, your philosophy tutor can work with you to maximize your test preparation efforts.
What Can I Do With a Philosophy Degree?
Some of the most popular careers for philosophy majors can be found in the list below.
Careers in Philosophy
- Editorial Assistant
- Paralegal
- Public Policy
- Non-Profit Employee
- Blogger
- Writer
- Journalist
- Copywriter
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Public Relations
- Grant Writer
- Technical Writer
- Teacher
This list is not exhaustive, as the skills derived from pursuing an undergraduate degree in philosophy can be invaluable in many other career fields. It is also an excellent starting point for those who wish to pursue advanced degrees in the fields of business, law, education, religious studies, public service, and more.
While you may have originally found this site by searching for a "philosophy tutor near me," we hope you have come to realize that the true value of philosophy tutoring is not to be found by sitting next to your tutor but rather in the personalized instruction your philosophy tutor can provide. If you want to take your philosophy studies to the next level, let Varsity Tutors help you connect with an online tutor who can become a "philosophy tutor near me" with the click of a button. Contact Varsity Tutors today to get started.