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Matt EmersonMay 01, 2014

Yesterday I wrote about a Catholic school in Wisconsin that will soon feature a curriculum anchored in the Socratic method and the classics of Western civilization. It seems they're not the only ones remembering the value of this kind of education.

The Wall Street Journal reports that many MBA programs are now requiring students to study philosophy, or at least consider more philosophical questions that touch upon the nature of the self, the mystery of humans, and ethical business practice. According to the WSJ:

The philosophy department is invading the M.B.A. program—at least at a handful of schools where the legacy of the global financial crisis has sparked efforts to train business students to think beyond the bottom line. Courses like "Why Capitalism?" and "Thinking about Thinking," and readings by Marx and Kant, give students a break from Excel spreadsheets and push them to ponder business in a broader context, schools say.

Some of these courses require students to read fiction, meditate, and analyze art. The courses are designed to get them thinking about the larger world they are entering, to get them to consider the social consequences of their business decisions and the marketplace.

 

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