Why Reading Philosophy Can Make You a Better Professional

Discover how reading philosophy can sharpen your thinking, help you make tough decisions, and support your growth as a leader.

You know those meetings that go on for two hours, but at the end, no one is sure what was decided? Or that leader who acts quickly but can never really explain why?

I know you have seen this happen. I have too, many times.

At the core, these problems have a simple cause: people are not used to thinking clearly about how they think. The result is a series of decisions made on impulse, by habit, or just by copying others.

I am not talking about being clear so you can give a good presentation or make polished slides.

I am talking about the kind of clarity that comes from deep self-awareness. Knowing why you think the way you do. Why do you act the way you act. Why you make the decisions you make.

That is exactly what philosophy does for us. I am not suggesting you need to spend years studying Aristotle in Greek or memorizing Plato quotes to sound smart in meetings. That would be pointless.

I am suggesting something different. See philosophy as a powerful and practical tool for professionals who want to work (and live) with more awareness and purpose.

What kind of problems am I talking about?

Let me give you some real examples. Maybe you recently started a business. You might have done an excellent financial analysis, built detailed spreadsheets, and projected profits with precision. But did you stop to ask why you chose to open that business? What real value are you delivering to people? What gives this business meaning for you and for the world around you?

These are philosophical questions. They come before the technical ones. Aristotle called this understanding the “final causes” — knowing the purpose before taking action.

Without clarity about purpose, you might see some short-term success, but you will struggle to have consistency or real meaning in the long term.

Think also about a manager who has to lead a team. If this manager is not clear about their own beliefs, how can they argue coherently with their team? If they have never studied logic, how can they be sure their decisions are based on solid reasoning rather than personal preference or ego?

Reading the classics teaches you to ask better questions. Plato and Aristotle help you organize logical thinking and build strong arguments. Thinkers like Thomas Aquinas and Augustine help you balance reason and faith, the practical and the ideal.

Or consider the entrepreneur who is only worried about the numbers. If they have no idea what really makes a good and just life, how can they build a company that does good not just for their own wallet but for the community and society too?

Without a philosophical perspective, businesses easily become money-making machines that do not create real value for the world.

That is where Augustine matters again. He reminds us that seeking the good means understanding what truly matters — and therefore what is good.

And these are only a few names. I do not want to be simplistic here. I want to provoke some real thinking about studying itself, not push you toward one specific first book.

When you study philosophy, you develop skills that are becoming rare in the workplace.

I am not just talking about reading complex texts or thinking in abstract ways. I mean the ability to question deeply, argue clearly, listen to opposing views with patience, recognize your own limits with humility, and make decisions with strong ethical criteria — as the Stoics taught, especially Epictetus and Seneca.

These skills are valuable precisely because they are rare.

While everyone else rushes to give quick answers, the person who can think carefully about the right questions has a big advantage.

The person who can take time to think about values and principles builds their own way of making decisions, leading teams, and creating impact.

But do you need to become an expert in philosophy? No.

You really do not.

But you can (and I think you should) read a little.

You can start slowly. Pick a book, read it at your own pace, think about it, and take notes.

It is not a race. It is mental training.

Maybe you will start noticing how you can make better decisions. Later, maybe you will see how you can lead with more clarity. And, after a while, you might realize that thinking philosophically has completely changed the way you work, relate to people, and live.

That is what happened to me. At first, I thought philosophy was only for academics or intellectuals.

I needed a few bad decisions and some regrets to learn that philosophy was not a luxury or an intellectual ornament. It was a necessary tool for working and living better.

Now, it is up to you. If you want long-term success, start by investing in the way you think.

Philosophy does not exist to make you smarter. It exists to make you more aware.

And being aware, in life and at work, might be the greatest advantage you can have in a world that is becoming more confusing and shallow.

Here are some names for you to explore — philosophy, but also literature — in case you want to choose your own path:

• Augustine of Hippo (purpose, grace, inner life)

• Alasdair MacIntyre (virtue, critique of modern ethics)

• Aristotle (causes, logic, virtue ethics)

• Baruch Spinoza (rational ethics)

• Blaise Pascal (reason and limits, human paradox)

• Boethius (consistency, providence)

• Confucius (relational ethics, practical leadership)

• David Hume (skepticism, causality, limits of knowledge)

• Edmund Burke (tradition, political prudence)

• Epictetus (practical Stoicism, self-control)

• Erasmus of Rotterdam (critical humanism, dialogue)

• Friedrich Nietzsche (questioning values, authenticity)

• Hannah Arendt (action, political responsibility)

• Immanuel Kant (moral autonomy, practical reason)

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (social contract, critique of civilization)

• Jean-Paul Sartre (freedom, responsibility)

• John Locke (rights, government, practical reason)

• Ludwig Wittgenstein (limits of language, conceptual clarity)

• Machiavelli (political realism, prudence)

• Michel de Montaigne (moderate skepticism, personal essay)

• Michel Foucault (power, knowledge, critique of institutions)

• Nicholas of Cusa (harmony of opposites, infinity)

• Pierre Hadot (philosophy as a way of life)

• Plato (forms, dialogue, critical examination)

• Plotinus (Neoplatonism, contemplation)

• René Descartes (methodical doubt, clarity)

• Seneca (Stoicism, practical ethics)

• Simone de Beauvoir (freedom, oppression, existential ethics)

• Thomas Hobbes (social contract, power)

• Thomas Aquinas (integrating reason and faith, teleological virtue)

• Voltaire (critique, tolerance)

• Wilhelm Reich (moral critique, social psychology)