How much mathematics and formal logic is needed to pursue graduate studies in Philosophy?

Jay May 13, 2017 at 03:09 7500 views 2 comments

On other online philosophy forums, this question got mixed responses. Some said that you could not get far in philosophy without a good background in mathematics, given the analytic bent of contemporary philosophy. Others said that unless you venture into some areas of philosophy like philosophy of language, mathematics would not be that important. The remaining few adopted a more extreme position that philosophy could do without math.

I was wondering what Philosophy professors or people with and advanced degree in Philosophy think about this issue. Could you cite any peer-reviewed articles related to this question?

Comments (2)

Deleted User May 13, 2017 at 20:47 #70281 0 likes

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Terrapin Station May 13, 2017 at 23:08 #70309 0 likes

You don't need a lot of mathematics or logic unless you're going into a philosophy field directly related to them. Certainly nothing more than what's required to obtain your bachelor's degree. To get your bachelor's in the U.S., you'll need a couple years or mathematics, but nothing beyond pre-calculus, and to get your philosophy bachelor's, you'll typically need a year of formal logic, but nothing too complicated.