[originaltext] In preparing a book, I asked several successful executives to

In preparing a book, I asked several successful executives to tell me what they thought students should study if they wanted to succeed in business. They listed only a few technical subjects   accounting and finance, for example. But time and again, these executives identified philosophy as one of the most important areas you can study for learning how to think in a disciplined, analytical, and imaginative way.
    The way that philosophy helps you see the world is no less real than its practical benefits to your career. Studying philosophy exposes you to a wide range of problems that you wouldn’t meet otherwise. It simply lets you see more of the world. It stretches your imagination. It challenges you to come up with your own answers to tough issues that do not have ready-made solutions.
    Studying philosophy helps you to develop insight into some of life’s great puzzles and to fashion your own vision of what life is all about. As you go through life, you will be challenged all along the way to make decisions about who you are and what’s important to you. Philosophy helps you develop a sense of what life is all about and where you’re going.
    In fact, Socrates, one of the first great philosophers, thought that philosophy is the single most important element in making our lives worthwhile. "The unexamined life," he said, "is not worth living." In Socrates’ mind, at least, philosophy makes it possible for us to control our own destiny.