As an undergraduate student, Michael D. Greene (BA philosophy ’02) thought taking a few philosophy courses would be helpful in preparing for law school. Soon enough, though, he dropped the law school part and kept the philosophy. He loved the subject matter, rigor, and discussions in those courses, and so he shifted to a double major in finance and philosophy (BS finance ’01, MBA ’10). 

“For nearly 25 years, having that BA in philosophy, without question, has been the thing that stands out in every interview I have ever had,” Greene said. “It has cracked open more doors, and sparked more conversations than my MBA, to be frank, and a lot of it comes down to the rarity of it, and how few people choose to work to achieve it.”

The critical thinking and communication skills he honed also have served him well for his career in finance and real estate, and he is convinced the study of philosophy is essential in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

“Consider all possibilities, comment on them, game them out to their most likely conclusion, address pitfalls and how to avoid them … these are vital, and in a world increasingly dependent on AI to present faux intellect, this is where you can differentiate yourself and your presentation of work to be superior to others,” Greene said. 

Philosophy in the Workplace

Michael’s father, David L. Greene (MD ’64), impressed upon him at a very early age the potential for standing out by earning multiple degrees. 

“While a degree in finance provided a career path for me, a degree in philosophy would change my career trajectory and vector,” Michael Greene said. 

He applies that philosophical training in his commercial real estate career.

As a senior vice president and regional credit officer for Millennium Bank, he is responsible for credit underwriting, portfolio management, policy generation, and implementation across a territory that spans three states, from Knoxville down to Vero Beach Florida. He also serves on the bank’s Executive Loan Committee, determining credit approvals for capital deployment to new projects. 

“The communication skills (both written and verbal) that I honed in this program, combined with the focus on critical thinking, have always been absolutely invaluable to me, and have been the biggest differentiator in my decision-making and career in finance,” Greene explained. “The holistic analysis of a project and conveying that analysis to others is so vital, combined with the multi-order consideration of outcomes and how to mitigate risk at each stage is so incredibly vital in my every day. I cannot imagine being successful without the tools I was provided by philosophy.”

Not every student can spare the hours to complete the philosophy major. But even with a minor in philosophy, students gain the benefit of honing their creative thinking and decision-making skills. “Actual human thought is now so rare, the existence and application of it is a recognized differentiator,” Greene said. “Not only do the skills gained from the course load give you ammunition in that fight, the existence of that designation on your resume cracks open doors that few courses of study ever will, because if you had the focus to achieve it, you must be different.”

Faculty Mentors

UT philosophy Professor Emeritus Richard Aquila was Greene’s faculty advisor. “He is one of the most brilliant people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and one of the most helpful,” Greene said. 

Greene took a class with Aquila on Immanuel Kant, when the UT professor was one of the foremost experts on Kant in the world. “I believe I received a B+ in that class, and maybe it was a gift, but it remains an achievement I treasure,” he said. 

As a student, his focus was on the classics, with ancient Greek and medieval philosophy, so he took many classes with Professor Sheldon Cohen. “He had this extremely gruff persona, but it was all a ruse,” Greene recalled of the late faculty member. “He had an incredible sarcastic wit, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The amount of time spent before and after class talking about all things in life, in the humanities breezeway while he chain-smoked cigarettes, was a fond memory.”

Like many college students, Greene sometimes felt the effects of “imposter syndrome,” but in one of Cohen’s classes his accomplishment proved to Greene that he truly belonged at the university. 

Cohen allowed Greene to take a graduate-level class on Aristotle. “It was my proudest achievement that I received a B+ in that class, off of his two grades: a term paper in which I did nearly 30 pages on Aristotle’s Theory of Justice and his final exam which was, I kid you not, ‘Explain Aristotle.’ I hand-wrote 21 pages in the old blue books in a three-hour final. I’ll never forget that sense of accomplishment.”