W Sellars Philosophy addresses the fundamental nature of reality, of our knowledge and relation to it, and asks what the nature and meaning of our life is. Philosophy strives for a synoptic vision of the universe and of human existence, in which the interrelationships between the myriad concrete and abstract phenomena we encounter are clear. Philosophers ask these and related questions rigorously and analytically.
Philosophers defend their views with careful arguments, as opposed to the repetition of dogmas.
Moreover, philosophers have asked these questions for a very long time, and in many of the world's cultures. The study of philosophy hence involves not only individual speculative thought but the careful conisderation and comparison of the myriad attempts to answer these big questions and to sketch the big picture we are after. By addressing and answering fundamental philosophical questions you can deepen and add a reflective and analytical dimension to your own life, however you choose to live it. Even if philosophy is not your primary area of study, it is an ideal second major, as it has interdisciplinary connections to every other field of study, and can enhance your study of any other subject. Philosophy students often come out at the top of a number of tests of analytical reasoning ability.