What is PPE?
Before you ask, it’s not hardhats…
“Oh, you’re studying! Where do you go?”
Please don’t ask.
“Oh, UQ. That must be nice.
Don’t you do it…
“So, what do you study?”
Damn it.
I’m sure every student gets asked this question, and I’m certain that nobody enjoys answering it (except, perhaps, especially smug medical students), but it presents a unique horror for PPE students. In replying,we have a range of equally unenviable options.
- “PPE.” Most people won’t know what you’re talking about, some will assume you’re talking about Personal Protective Equipment, and a small minority will think you have Tourette’s Syndrome (especially if you say ‘PPE’ very quickly).
- “Politics, Philosophy & Economics.” Usually, observers will make you repeat the full title at least once, then seize on one discipline and ignore the others anyway. Furthermore, they will assume you’re a bit of a tosser.
- “A Bachelors of Politics, Philosophy & Economics, with honours.” People will know you’re a tosser.
- “Politics.” Omitting the other disciplines makes it much simpler, but choosing this one makes people assume you are a power-mad, soulless apparatchik. Somehow, still not the worst option…
- “Philosophy.” Either because they feel sorry for your lack of employability, or they have no ability to speak on the topic, confessing this will almost immediately end the conversation. Can be useful at family functions.
- “Economics.” A middle-ground option, which combines the assumed soullessness of politics with the ambiguity of philosophy. My personal favourite.
Ultimately, the problem is that our degree, and also the larger concept of PPE, has very poor name recognition- nobody knows what it is. To answer the question, “What is PPE?” we have sought the opinions of three students who ought to know.
Jonathan Suarez
I personally see in PPE both the big picture and the essential, the core engine of civilization. They are the three central pillars of thought which underpin and structure our existence, both as individuals and as a race. Each discipline has evolved by specializing in different facets of the same phenomena — us — a common denominator which renders them always bound to reality, our everyday reality. So to address this reality then you have to think in holistic, interdisciplinary terms, because we just be complex like that. In a weird way, they rule us but can’t exist without us. They are so relevant together and their joint relevance so forgotten, I feel that’s why there’s a disconnect between society and PPE: each discipline has abstracted itself away and they’re no longer common knowledge. We used to outsource our existential meaning and morals to the church and now we outsource our civic duties to politicians, economists, philosophers, academia and the government. I’m not saying PPE will fix all that but it is a start, to join the dots and bring all that theory down to earth, and I think it’s an important step towards evolving and addressing modern issues effectively.
Raph Wixted
When I started PPE I had the idea that different disciplines would intersect in a way that was instructive to how we should use our time and energy in life. I thought philosophy could identify an ideal outcome, economics the practical constraints on its implementation, and politics some idea of how to navigate its pursuit. That view was totally subverted by the realisation that all these disciplines are in constant dispute. The value I see in PPE now is exactly that process; it’s an opportunity to challenge our beliefs, discard the ones which we can’t defend, and reconceive ideas of society, politics, and ‘the good life’ with greater scepticism and humility.
Matthew Diamond
To me, PPE is the perfect undergraduate degree (maybe I’m a little biased) as it focuses on developing critical thinking through three disciplines that are integral to understanding the world around us. This, compared to more technical degrees that I suggest can be completed later, better caters to the demographic of undergraduate students who, generally, enter university at 17 with little understanding of the world or their goals within it. This is compounded by the reality that almost all jobs, excepting occupations like medicine, can be, and almost always are, learnt on the job. Three/four-year curriculums will always lag behind industry and employers are now focusing on the ability to critically think and learn, as can be seen in the recent trend towards ‘degree agnostic’ recruitment. So, the reality is that today’s undergraduate degrees need to teach an ability to learn and think critically and an understanding of the society around us, and this is exactly what PPE excels at.
Introduction written by James Penfold.
Photo Credit: Philip Toscano / PA Wire/Press Association Images
