When his mom bought him a computer, a precocious fourth-grader named Felix Kim immediately took it apart with a screwdriver. His computer broken and angry mother fuming, Kim made an important discovery: The processor was finished with a layer of gold.
“I wanted to learn the truth inside,” said Kim, now a third-year philosophy student. “I wanted to know why the computer worked the way it did.”
Kim said he was an extreme case of inquisitiveness, always asking questions such as why two plus two equals four or a why a triangle is a triangle. This nature, he said, directed him toward UCLA’s philosophy department to help understand the world and uncover truth.
Philosophy has long struggled with an image as a “luxury major.”
David Schrader, executive director of the American Philosophical Association, said parents and students viewed college as specific job training in the past and saw philosophy as impractical.
However, he said, in the current market of uncertain job security and fluctuation, philosophy makes sense.
“Philosophy majors tend to by very good at learning new skills,” Schrader said. “Students are increasingly understanding the job requirement for the 21st century.”
Attracted by its promise of logic and problem solving skills, students across college campuses nationwide are enrolling in philosophy in record numbers.
UCLA is one of a number of college campuses across the country that has seen a rise in philosophy enrollment.
Nationwide, there 817 colleges offering undergraduate philosophy major programs today, up from 765 a decade ago, according to the College Board.
“We have more demand for undergraduate upper division courses that we have faculty,” philosophy department chair Donald Martin said. “It’s a valuable major for fields like law, which requires careful thinking and writing skills.”
It’s these new skills, Kim said, that helped him persuade his parents, who wanted him to pursue a more practical career path.
“They were like, “˜What are you going to do with philosophy?'” Kim said. “They were money-orientated and wanted me to become a lawyer or a doctor.”
Kim said that, since they were assured he was pursuing the right path, they have been very supportive.
Kim sees philosophy as more inward, a discipline not necessarily to further his career goals but one to help understand his very existence.
“I want to express who I am,” Kim said. “I just want to expand on who I am and enjoy being me.”
An atheist-turned-Christian who teaches Sunday school at his church, Kim said the abstract nature of philosophy allowed him to gain a better understanding of God and justify his beliefs through a logical argument.
He cited the influence of Baruch Spinoza, a 17th-century Dutch philosopher, in making his claim.
“Cause and effect is very prevalent in the world. All this cause and effect is an infinite process, and something had to set this off,” Kim said. “This infinite and constant motion had to come from some infinite source.”
Kim is appreciative of the UCLA Department of Philosophy for helping him channel his innate curiosity and find some truth in the world. He said he hoped to attend graduate school or seminary after graduation to further his philosophical pursuits.
“Philosophy gives you the skills to see the big picture,” said Kim. “Philosophy is about finding the truth, and for me God is the truth. God is everything to me.”
Kim is aware of the endless confusion and abstract nonsense that philosophy often entails, but he said he loves what he’s doing and is happy doing it.
“I guess being a philosopher is loving to talk about stupid stuff like philosophy,” Kim said.