Purdue Northwest’s philosophy courses have deeply impacted Collin Gee’s ways of thinking.

Gee, a senior Marketing major, credits his critical thinking abilities to his Introduction to Philosophy class with Professor David Detmer. 

“It taught me how to think about things way differently,” Gee said. “Before, I feel like I would blindly follow whatever an authority figure would tell me.”

Gee was never interested in philosophy before the introduction course. It was just a class that he had to take in order to stay on the graduation track. Yet, within the first week of instruction, he was hooked.

“Within the first few weeks, I started to question everything. I searched to find out why things are the way that they are,” he said. “Surface-level questions just weren’t enough for me anymore. Professor Detmer always pushed us to delve deeper.”

Gee understands that some questions simply cannot be answered. But he refuses to let that stop him from exploring other possibilities. 

“The age-old question of ‘why are we here?’ looms over everyone at least once in their lifetime,” Gee said. “I don’t have an answer, but I do have a deeper understanding of the possibilities now.”

Planning a career in marketing, Gee said he is grateful for the self-introspection tools he was taught in that philosophy course. 

“I was taught to always question the question: ‘How did this question form?’ ‘Who thought of it?’ ‘How do I know that this question is even a valid one to ask?’,” he said.  “At some points, the class felt like a research methods course.” 

Gee never took the time to ponder the philosophical questions of life before this introduction. He admits that he never really got to the root of the speculation before.

“Not only can I use these critical thinking skills in a philosophical sense, but I’ll be also able to apply such knowledge in my professional life,” he said. “Any major that aligns with a business undertone needs to be cultured and enriched with more than just the basics of life.”