<p>can anyone suggest any disciplines that will develop the following skills? so far i can think of history as the perfect fit, but i’d like to hear more suggestions. thanks!</p>
<li>formulate, support, defend a thesis</li>
<li>thorough research and data analysis (high volume)</li>
<li>close reading (of details, footnotes etc.)</li>
<li>identify levers of cause and effect</li>
<li>global, macro perspective</li>
</ol>
<p>philosophy is also a thought.</p>
<p>Political Science</p>
<p>Sociology, Economics</p>
<p>International relations/International studies</p>
<p>im gonna say pretty much any college major.</p>
<p>^ I agree. Almost any major will teach you these skills, along with teaching you how to think within that discipline’s perspective.</p>
<p>Any humanities or social science will develop these skills, but none quite as well as Philosophy.</p>
<p>thanks for the suggestions! would i be correct in saying that in terms of thesis formulation, international relations and economics are of a predictive, forecasting nature, while history and philosophy are backward-looking, i.e. seeking to explain and find meaning in events that have already happened?</p>
<p>Economics definitely.</p>
<p>Philosophy doesn’t meet (2).</p>
<p>
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<p>They can both be forward or backward looking and honestly, it’s usually both (okay, history not AS much, but somewhat). It depends on your focus. If you study the Middle East as an IR major, for example, you’re going to have to look at the history, the present situation, and the future of the country. If you’re studying South American history, for example, you might be able to apply what you’ve learned to current events and extrapolate from there. If you’re an economics major with a focus on international development, you’re going to look forward and backward as well. I don’t really know much about philosophy.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call philosophy backward looking. I mean, sure, you do study old philosophical texts, but in general, philosophical texts aim toward the timeless. It’s mostly theories and beliefs that are handed down through generations and continue to be remolded as new thinkers, perspectives, technologies, events, whatnot come into being. Not to mention, there’s a whole bunch of philosophers who are fascinated by what the future holds and where we are going. And sure, philosophical texts do serve a bit like literary texts in that they portray a culture’s (at a certain time, in a certain place) way of life and thinking. But you can choose not to meddle with this if you don’t like it.</p>
<p>Most of contemporary philosophy is about coming up with theories and views to explain everything that science cannot explain. Philosophy today is very theoretical. Some people hate these theories, because they are in a way describing things that cannot be described, especially empirically described. That’s fine; I do have my qualms when studying philosophy too. But I think it’s amazing watching the thought processes that go into these theories, and all the marvelous kinds of ideas people can think of.</p>
<p>economics would be best</p>