Philosophy Personal Statement Example 18

When I think of Philosophy, I see a little child looking around and wondering, asking difficult questions from their parents. Who are we? Why are we here? Does God exist?

Ever since I was a little kid, I've been a divergent. An introvert child who spends a lot of time in her head, thinking and analysing things. I suppose that's why I first became interested in Philosophy. In this modern and noisy world it allows me to be who I really am - quiet, speculative and tranquil. I'm also a type of person who thinks before speaking and has a rich inner world. I feel both of these qualities give me the ability to examine philosophical questions more carefully and think outside of the box.

My philosophical view is affected by many famous philosophers, such as Hume, Plato and Sartre. Hume and Plato presented very contradictory theories of how ideas are born. Summarized, Hume believed that ideas are copies of impressions we get from the outside world via our senses whereas Plato thought that impressions of the world are only copies of universal ideas that are infinitely existing in a world of ideas in our mind. My view mostly conforms to Hume's theory. I believe that ideas are just impressions of the world but also that combining those impressions we create new ideas of something that doesn't exist. Some of those ideas are only in our imagination, and some of them are the kick we need to create something new into this world.

When I was in high school, I made a presentation about Sartre and studied his life and work. He believed that everything that exists requires an essence first and claimed that since there isn't a God or 'Creator', humans don't have an essence. We simply can't explain our behaviour by saying "it's a human nature" and therefore we're fully responsible for our actions.
I agree with Sartre that we can't justify our behaviour by referencing any specific human nature, but that doesn't mean we don't have an essence. I believe in fatalism, so in my opinion coincidence doesn't exist since everything in our life is predestined and has a reason, including the birth of the human kind. I also believe that we can choose our actions, but eventually they will lead us to the exact situation we're supposed to be in at the moment. However, I am aware of that it also leads us to a conflict; how can we have a free will to choose our actions, if our whole life is predestined after all?

On my spare time, I like to pursue my interest in Philosophy by reading books and magazines. I just finished reading Meditations on First Philosophy by Descartes and found it very insightful. I don't believe in God, but I was impressed how well Descartes was able to rationalize God's existence. I also watch video lectures about Philosophy, and currently I'm watching videos from Oxford University.
I graduated from high school in 2008 and I have been working in customer service ever since. By working with a lot of people, I've gained very good communication skills. My previous job experience in a hypermarket has improved my ability to handle stress to the very best. I see all these skills as strong assets and I surely will put them to good use if I get accepted to Your university.

I want to study Philosophy in England rather than in Finland because I believe that it will be a better choice for the sake of my future. I think it will give me more job opportunities in UK and help me build international relations. I also think it will be an excellent way to meet new friends from different countries and cultures.
My goal in studying Philosophy is to improve my critical and logical thinking and to prepare for the postgraduate studies. I also wish to improve my English skills, because I believe that with fluent English and a good education, the world really becomes my oyster.