Amid ongoing calls for psychiatric education to include more philosophy, a new large-scale study published in the Journal of the American Philosophical Association offers fresh evidence for the claim that philosophical study enhances essential intellectual virtues.
The findings suggest that students who major in philosophy demonstrate stronger verbal reasoning skills, greater curiosity, and more open-mindedness even after adjusting for prior academic ability. These results are particularly relevant for those questioning whether mainstream psychological and psychiatric training adequately fosters reflective and pluralistic thinking.
“Philosophy has a reputation for making people better thinkers,” write philosophers Michael Prinzing and Michael Vazquez, the study’s authors. “Its students learn to dissect arguments and untangle complex problems with clarity and precision. They are taught to question assumptions and consider a variety of possible answers to any particular question, even answers that might initially seem strange or unconventional.”
By demonstrating that philosophical education fosters intellectual virtues such as open-mindedness, curiosity, and critical thinking, this study highlights the value of disciplines grounded in narrative, ethics, and reflection. Philosophers and clinicians alike have long cautioned against the epistemological limitations that arise from privileging experimentation over understanding. Likewise, psychiatrists such as Pat Bracken and Mohammed Abouelleil Rashed have emphasized the need for integrative, reflective frameworks that make space for meaning and complexity beyond the brain-based or diagnostic models. Reclaiming the value of philosophical thought, as this study suggests, may be one way to rebuild the intellectual foundations necessary for a more holistic, humane, and self-reflective approach to psychological life.
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