Welcome, everybody, to the first class of your philosophy degree. Now I'm sure many of you have experienced surprise from members of your family when you said you were going to study philosophy. Well, I'm here today to tell you of the benefits this subject can bring to you personally and of the high regard placed on it by employers. By studying philosophy, you will learn to evaluate complex logical arguments and issues. You will learn to be critical thinkers, not just accepting as true or right what you read and hear. You will develop the ability to analyse your own thoughts and identify where you might have made a mistake. This will in turn increase your ability to form strong arguments and defend them against criticism. An education in philosophy will widen your horizons and remove narrow-minded thinking. To my second point, who is going to employ you? Maybe in a philosophy department as a professor, but philosophy students have abilities that are useful for a wide range of professions. Employers know that you have an ability to communicate clearly, for example many lawyers, marketing executives and journalists have studied philosophy either as a principle or as a second subject.