I applied to the University of Windsor in the combined Philosophy and English program with the sole intention of going to law school. My intention was to cultivate my reasoning and writing skills in the hopes that such a winning combination would become a one-way ticket to a stable and rewarding career.
Happily, my youthful ambitions of becoming a lawyer married well with my long-time love for philosophy, allowing me the opportunity to do what I truly enjoyed before preparing for the LSAT.
In truth, reading The Republic and thinking deeply about questions concerning the essence of human nature resonated with me beyond my four years at university. I remember more from my informal logic courses and Reasoning About Weird Things class than I did from any Supreme Court of Canada decision or obscure property law developed in the19th century.
What was once a stepping-stone to post-graduate school became the highlight of my
Did philosophy "prepare" me for law school? I was taught how to think critically, write better, and construct sounder arguments. I learned about justice from Plato; ethics from Aristotle; and liberty from John Stuart Mill. These are at the very forefront of the law.
When studying philosophy I learned about life; everything after that was training for life—and, ultimately, the business of law.