Zoé Barret (MSc in Philosophy of Economics and the Social Sciences, 2023-2024)

Testimonial

Question 1. Why did you choose LSE and the programme?

I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics as my undergraduate degree, and loved all three subjects (although philosophy was my favourite!). Most of the time, when I was looking at different master’s programmes, what I really wished for was to be able to do another year of PPE. And then, I came across LSE’s master’s, entitled Philosophy of Economics and the Social Sciences! It seemed perfect. To be frank, what I really read was “Philosophy and Economics and (basically Politics) the Social Sciences”, which shows the sort of cognitive biases brains have. But when I started reading the module list, discovering courses such as “Philosophy of Society”, “Philosophy of Gender and Race”, “Einstein for Everyone: From time travel to the edge of the universe” (I never actually took that course, but it sounded very impressive) I was increasingly excited to apply here. Philosophy at the LSE is quite striking insofar as it is very applied and seeks to decipher, or create tools, that can explain existing, “real-world” phenomena – I discovered all this when arriving here, and really enjoyed this approach to philosophy.

Question 2. Which aspects of your studies were the most beneficial for your professional as well as personal development?

Many things! Everything. The lectures, the seminars, the coursework: every experience teaches you something different and trains you to attend to details that you don’t notice automatically. I think one of the most enjoyable parts of studying is seminars, where you go through the essential reading(s) in great detail, allowing you to truly grasp the argument and associate it with other ideas from other readings. When I first arrived, going through a single paper would take me hours, and what I understood from it was relatively little. By the end of the year – I noticed this the most whilst working on my dissertation – I was much more confident in my ability to read and pick up on the author’s point, and was able to contrast or associate them with different readings. Furthermore, each course helps you develop specific skills. In “Philosophy of Gender and Race”, for instance, we read not only philosophical texts but also engaged with creative pieces which we analysed philosophically during the seminars (before working on our own “philosophy-in-life” projects).

There is a sense of interconnectedness inside the department which allows one to attend a wide variety of classes whilst also facilitating the possibility to connect these courses and develop a thorough understanding of these topics.

Question 3. What is your fondest memory of your time here?

A most notable seminar in “Evidence and Policy” whereby we learned that “it’s just wrong” was a valid way to conclude a debate, and a tweet referencing orangutans was used to explicate the nuances of Kant’s categorical imperative (further demonstrating the department’s commitment to incorporating elements of the real world to teach philosophy). This was during the harsh winter term amidst sniffles, sunset at 4pm, and general panic re the first formatives being due. In the summer term, I was especially grateful for the Marshall Building which keeps cool during heatwaves, where one can alternate between lying in the sun on the benches surrounding it and entering the building to cool down.

Question 4. Why would you recommend studying at LSE and the Philosophy department in particular?

The Philosophy department at LSE is small, composed of people who work on subjects they are very specialised in, and it is incredibly easy to get to know people (both staff and students) if you want to. There is a sense of interconnectedness inside the department (different modules reference papers in the same vein, bringing a course-specific approach to a general subfield of scientific methodology / ethics / political philosophy) which allows one to attend a wide variety of classes whilst also facilitating the possibility to connect these courses and develop a thorough understanding of these topics. At the LSE, I also discovered that one could use models and scientific methodology to analyse philosophical concepts (such as intersectionality, testimonial reciprocity, etc), which I found myself incredibly drawn to. There is also the possibility to discover a wide range of subjects, through attending talks or taking courses outside of the department; there is always something going on in the school. Studying at LSE combines perfectly the possibility to obtain a truly thorough understanding of a certain subject and learn about a wide range of things going on in the world.

Question 5. Your LSE experience in your own words:

When I did my first reading for my first ever week of “Philosophy of Society”, I came across the term “epistemic” and noticed that it was repeated throughout the paper. Absent-mindedly, I looked online what “epistemic” might mean, was a bit confused, and thought “it’ll be fine if I don’t really understand this one term”. I then proceeded to do my first reading for my first ever week of “Evidence and Policy” and came across the term “epistemic” in the first two lines. This worried me. I am currently writing a dissertation on “standpoint epistemology” and have only the broadest idea of what exactly epistemic means. But overall, I would say that LSE has allowed me to develop epistemically.