Value of Philosophy

In talking about the value of philosophy, I could wax poetic and meditate on Plato's famous line: "[T]he unexamined life is not worth living" (Apology 38a5-6). I certainly think he was correct, but that does not speak to the demands of the contemporary workplace. So, why hire a philosopher?

Here are five unique skills a philosopher can bring to the table:

PROCESSING COMPLEX INFORMATION: I'll read and annotate 1,000+ pages in a week and not bat an eye. In fact, I once copy-edited a 950-page document in 18 hours for a project with Oxford University Press. In short order, I can situate the material alongside other literature, simplify it enough to teach it, and locate potential holes and argumentative shortcomings.
PRECISION & LOGIC: Just about everything read and written in "Philosophyland" is an argument, so we receive extensive training in (and then constantly practice) formal and informal logic. Imagining multiple perspectives and disambiguating our terms and intended meanings are a way of life.
GIVING & RECEIVING CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: It is rare that even just two philosophers will fully agree on any given issue, and even when they do, there are still inevitably differences about some of the mechanics of expressing something. We're good at reading each other and giving respectful feedback that combines praise and critique—even when it means critiquing a more senior scholar—and we are not bothered when we ourselves are critiqued. Nothing is perfect, and we take joy in learning.
TIME & PROJECT MANAGEMENT: In a typical work week we will develop or edit our courses' over-arching curricula; dream up activities to help students learn; plan and deliver presentations (for teaching, departmental and university events, and professional conferences); meet with students and committees; organize and manage events; network with other scholars; workshop articles of our own and review others' work; conduct research; read (a lot!); and work on writing for projects both large (e.g., dissertations and books) and small (e.g., articles for conferences and/or journals). This takes careful organization and planning on one end and the ability to step back and honestly evaluate progress on the other.
APPRECIATION FOR DIVERSITY: As identified by even the most ancient philosophers, the core aim of our practice is at knowledge ("justified true belief," as the epistemologists define it). No single person knows everything—not even about some narrow topic—and that's why we take (1)-(4) above so seriously. It is why we are constantly exploring different arguments and putting ourselves out into the company of other lovers of learning. Seriously and thoughtfully engaging with authors, speakers, and individuals from diverse religious, cultural, racial, socio-economic, political, and other backgrounds is the only way to achieve the fertile ground necessary to actually find the truth and real knowledge.

"[The many different] disciplines are all relevant to the search for the truth. But to be diverted from public service by enthusiasm for research is denial of one's duty. This is because praise for moral excellence accrues entirely to the active life."

Cicero, De Officiis I.6