The declining interest in philosophy among university students has generated concerns regarding its implications for intellectual development and academic outcomes. Within contemporary higher education, philosophy is frequently perceived as impractical, overly abstract, and disconnected from career opportunities, leading many students to regard it as a useless academic discipline. Such perceptions may discourage engagement with philosophical inquiries and consequently hinder the development of critical thinking skills that are essential for academic success, professional competence, and responsible citizenship. This study investigates the relationship between undergraduate students’ perceptions of philosophy and their critical thinking abilities. Guided by Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Theory and Lipman’s Philosophy for Children Framework, the study adopted a correlational survey design. Data were collected using the Student Attitude Toward Philosophy Questionnaire (SAPQ) and the Watson – Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA). The study examined whether negative perceptions of philosophy significantly predict lower levels of critical thinking among undergraduate students and whether exposure to philosophy courses is associated with higher critical thinking performance. The findings are expected to contribute to ongoing discussions on curriculum reform, critical thinking education, and the relevance of philosophy within higher education. The study concludes that philosophy remains an important intellectual discipline for cultivating analytical reasoning, reflective judgement, problem-solving abilities, and informed citizenship in the twenty-first century.

Keywords: Philosophy education, Critical thinking, Undergraduate students, Student attitudes, Watson – Glaser Test, Higher education, Educational development.