<p>I like to ask if phil major is really hard? do you need special innate intelligence to do well (someone who majored told me this) or if you just work hard you can do well. I mean to get A’s. I know there are diff. concentrate in phil. dept. and some are harder than others but generally is it very hard? thanks</p>
<p>They’re tough classes for most people. “Innate intelligence”… I’m not really sure what you mean. Certainly, some people will have to use less effort b/c of their talents and intelligence comes into play. Of all majors, philosophy majors have the strongest quantitative/verbal/critical thinking scores overall (the strongest balance and tend to outdo even math-based majors such as engineering on the quant and English-based majors such as literature on the verbal) – that may indicate their IQs tend to be higher as well, but that would be hard to say without testing them prior to coming and i have not seen stats on that.</p>
<p>innate intelligence will definitely help and make life easier. i don’t know if you “need” it though.</p>
<p>nor how anyone can measure this, but by “innate intelligence,” I’m assuming you mean something like raw horse power under the hood e.g. how quickly you can absorb and process information, general problem solving ability, and an ability to manipulate abstract information?</p>
<p>Having all of the above always helps regardless of your chosen major (well maybe except gender/ethnic/identity studies =P), and philosophy’s no exception, but I don’t think you need be exceptionally intelligent or smart to major in philosophy. I know cause I majored in it.</p>
<p>Majoring in philosophy, you’re going to need to enjoy or at least be able to tolerate reading alot of dense texts and articles that may have to be read and discussed over and over again before you can understand them.</p>
<p>Many of the concepts you’ll learn about can get pretty abstract, but I think you can get a handle of them through practice (by training your brain to think abstractly through your readings, writing papers, experience, etc). </p>
<p>If you haven’t already learned to do so, you’re going to need to be able to write clearly and concisely. </p>
<p>I think perhaps the most important trait to have though if you wanna get the most out of majoring in philosophy is to have an open mind. By this I mean you’re willing and you actually subject your most cherished beliefs and views to rigorous scrutiny. </p>
<p>An important part of this involves developing and honing your logical/critical thinking skills.</p>
<p>Edit* Btw, honestly I think you need more brain power to handle engineering, math, comp. sci., chemistry, and maybe even econ. than philosophy. Philosophy can get pretty hard, but it’s not rocket science. The hardest areas I’ve come across are the areas in philosophy that overlap with math.</p>
<p>thank you all especially to hampster! i was referring to high IQ. I really dont want to compete with all the geniuses for an A, that would be really tough 
I am a very hard worker and was curious that if I work hard would achieving high grade in philosophy possible. some people were telling me that to get A’s you really need to be smart naturally and studing 24/7 isnt going to help you get A’s maybe B+. I was wondering if really really smart people major in fields like Philosophy. Thanks for you comments</p>
<p>
There are most definitely some “really really smart people” in philosophy, just like there are some really smart people in any other field. </p>
<p>Btw, taking a class in formal logic or a proof-based math class helps a lot for philosophy. Try to take one at the first opportunity.</p>
<p>The best way to find out if a philosophy major suits you is to take a philosophy class. Pretty simple solution :)</p>
<p>Being good at abstract thinking and critical reasoning are pretty important for philosophy. Being able to parse dense readings is also an important skill. I’d say those things tie in fairly closely to what many would call “innate intelligence.”</p>
<p>And hampster, I’m sure you were joking but particularly in a thread talking about philosophy I feel the need to note that “gender/ethnic/identity studies” can be pretty demanding of horsepower too. Haven’t you ever read any feminist theory? It’s not exactly simple stuff.</p>
<p>thanks guys for all your comments!</p>
<p>Maybe what is more important to a philosopher or student of philosophy than intelligence is the ability and drive to break through established patterns of thinking and living, as well as open-mindedness.</p>
<p>Most people I’ve known who don’t have what it takes (flexibility or intelligence), would never consider it in the first place.</p>
<p>I second Pseudonym’s advice. Pseudonym, as afar as ethnic/gender/identity studies, I’m sorry I have to say I wasn’t entirely joking. I’ve taken several classes in women’s studies, including an independent project, and while there are some rigorous thinkers, like Martha Nussbaum, there’s also a lot of…err…I’m struggling to be diplomatic here…fluff. See Alan Sokal on Wikipedia to see what I mean. The target of his famous hoax wasn’t feminist theory per se, but a fair amount of feminist theory falls under the stuff made fun of in his hoax. Also, see the Simpsons episode when the boys and girls of Springfield Elementary split off into single sex schools.</p>
<p>Of course, my experience may be due mostly to the school I attended, and maybe at other places feminist theory is pursued more rigorously.</p>