Jake Fazzio (2023 Graduate)

Tell us about yourself! What did you study during your time with us, and what are you currently doing?

I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and graduated in 2023. I had plans to do the MSc in Economics here at the LSE and held an offer. However, the opportunity came up to work as a full-time research assistant in the economics department and I have done that for nearly three years. I recently applied to PhD programs in economics, and will be starting at Stanford University this September.

In what ways has studying Philosophy influenced your professional life or shaped your career path?

For my own intellectual journey, my training in philosophy has been instrumental in better understanding what economics and the social sciences more broadly can teach us and, as importantly, what it should teach us. I particularly loved courses I took in rationality and choice, and logic. These thoroughly shaped my attitude towards economics and I continue to look at my course notes, even as I prepare to pursue a PhD in economics.

How has your Philosophy background set you apart in your field or helped you approach challenges differently?

Serious study of any social science should involve reflection on the assumptions one is making. What a philosophical training does, particularly if you receive it at the LSE, is allow you to go one step further and interrogate assumptions that others without this training might not even notice. For me, this has meant a constant questioning of the foundational assumptions we make in economics around utility theory, welfare, and interpersonal comparisons.

What advice would you give to current or prospective students who are passionate about Philosophy but unsure how it might support their future career?

It would be a shame to reduce the decision around whether to study philosophy to its purely instrumental benefits for your career. However, the faculties you develop by struggling through difficult arguments and honing your ability to engage precisely are invaluable across nearly every domain of your life, professional or otherwise. All of my peers in the department have gone on to do exciting things in a diversity of domains, and they all have the characteristics of a rigorous philosophical training.

What’s one of your fondest memories from your time studying with us?

I have so many fond memories from my time studying at the LSE. I distinctly remember my first philosophy lectures—I had never studied the subject before—and being blown away by the discussions about free will, consciousness and truth. These questions still keep me reading and thinking to this day! It is also hard to overstate just how exciting the LSE educational environment can be; you will be discussing these questions with people from radically different backgrounds and perspectives than yours. This can only be a good thing for your own development as an independent thinker.