In Seneca’s essay “On the Shortness of Life,” he states, “It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it.”
“So, this stuff has been around forever, I mean, this is why it’s there,” Ciocchetti says. “It speaks to these kinds of human concerns that come up again and again and again.”
That’s Dr. Christopher Ciocchetti, chairman and professor of philosophy at Centenary College in Shreveport. He’s also the only staff member in the philosophy department, but he has great faith in his discipline.
“I like to think of it…when we talk about some of the terms like metaphysics and epistemology, people get intimidated. So, the simpler way to talk about it is--well, we examine our beliefs and values,” Ciocchetti says.
Ciocchetti says philosophy can teach students how to focus their thoughts on the things that really matter, and not small, insignificant things.
“Now, people who do that are going to be more effective employees,” Ciocchetti explains. “But they’re also going to be better parents, better citizens, better able to deal with the issues of the world as they come in and basically happier.”
According to Ciocchetti, Centenary has a history of philosophy students using their studies in a variety of jobs: healthcare, law, and journalism, just to name a few.
“I do hope that people can see the value of it before it’s too late,” Ciocchetti says.
Earlier this year, John Garrett Ratcliff and Joy Fair Ratcliff demonstrated that people do still see value in studying philosophy through their million-dollar contribution to Centenary to establish the John Garrett Ratcliff Endowed Chair of Philosophy, in memory of their son Thomas Kalford Ratcliff. Thomas Ratcliff was known for his passion for philosophy studies and social justice.
So, what does this million-dollar gift mean to the philosophy department at Centenary?
With a new endowed Chair of Philosophy, Centenary can welcome a new philosophy staff member.
“It helps make sure that Centenary College has a philosophy program for as long as it’s going to be here,” Ciocchetti says. “We’ve been here for 200 years, so hopefully for another 200 we’ll have these two positions that will be able to teach new generations of students.”
Ciocchetti notes that he is hoping the role is filled by a scholar in Latin American or Black philosophy.
“Areas that people have been, you know, sort of thinking about how to live…it would be wonderful to be able to have somebody else be here and to help in that,” Ciocchetti says.
The endowment will pay for the new chair’s salary, also offering a stipend to pay for their studies and travels, meaning that the position will be compensated regardless of the number of students who pay tuition. This is a genuine concern for many universities. According to National Public Radio, there are literally less eighteen-year-olds in America due to the 2008 recession. With fewer traditional-age potential students, more universities are seeing and will continue to see lower enrollment rates.
Because of this, universities have also started to concentrate on job-focused programs, such as medical or business degrees, according to Ciocchetti. He’s concerned about this directive, as liberal arts studies are usually disregarded. However, Ciocchetti says he believes that philosophy and other humanities studies can directly benefit all students, no matter what their career path.
“Whereas, these other skills, the kinds of things that philosophy teaches you about thinking about what’s really important to you, that kind of thing is always going to be useful,” Ciocchetti notes. “Once you’ve learned to start thinking about this kind of stuff, you don’t stop. Like, you watch television shows and you think about it, you watch the news and you think about it, in all of those areas.”
In addition to the new chair, the endowment will designate the Thomas Kalford Ratcliff Room, a reading space and classroom for philosophy students. A plaque for the room will be displayed in the Smith building on the Centenary campus.
“I’m extremely grateful to John Ratcliff and Joy Ratcliff for making that donation to help steady this department in a time of flux,” Ciocchetti says.