Department of Philosophy
About the Department
Our Grads
Course of Study
Opportunities
Cater Society
Advanced students in the Philosophy and Religion Program often apply to the Cater Society of Junior Fellows, a society of top undergraduate scholars across various disciplines who gather to discuss the ongoing scholarship and research. The Cater Society provides extensive funding for undergraduate research and travel for self-directed scholarly projects. Ask the program director, Prof. Austin Lobo, for details. Bi-annual application deadlines usually fall in the middle of September and February.
The Program
The department currently offers a major and minor in philosophy as well as a minor in religion. Please see the catalogue for specific requirements. Four full-time and two part-time active members represent over a century of teaching experience and active scholarship.
Courses beyond the introductory level are discussion seminars of 5-15 students. Our majors and minors receive much individual attention. Graduates of the philosophy program frequently are among the top writers at the College.
A number of our majors are pursuing a second major and find that philosophy enriches their other studies. Joint Senior Capstone projects with other departments can be arranged.
The entry-level, gateway course for almost all other courses is PHL 100 (Introduction). Any two philosophy courses fulfill distribution in the Humanities, except for PHL 108 (Logic) counting as a single Quantitative course only in combination with two Natural Science courses.
Philosophy — traditionally at the center of the liberal arts — asks some of the most difficult and searching questions about human existence, the nature of the universe, right and wrong in human conduct, and the basis of our social and political arrangements. In so doing, it gives the mind the greatest possible leeway to doubt, probe, and criticize. Philosophy by nature tends not to generate textbook answers. It can aid in putting questions on the nature of oneself, life, and reality into coherent and nuanced perspectives.
The courses of the Department of Philosophy and Religion have four main purposes:
- To acquaint the student with some of the great philosophical questions of the past and present and with leading attempts to answer them
- To exhibit the connections between philosophy and such related areas as art, business, law, literature, medicine, science, religion, and the environment
- To develop the student's capacities for clear thinking, critical analysis, and effective articulation/expression
- To provide the basis for reflecting on right versus wrong and good versus evil in the present-day world
These aims are pursued in the atmosphere of diverse philosophical interests and approaches found among the staff of the department. At the same time, faculty are mindful of complementarities among these approaches in bringing students to the art of inquiry. Typically, students also bring varied concerns to their own explorations in philosophy and move on to careers in many diverse fields.
Philosophy courses typically introduce students to major figures, periods, and movements of the Western philosophical tradition, including Ancient Philosophy (pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle), Medieval Philosophy (Augustine, Aquinas), Classical Modern Philosophy (Descartes through Kant), and 19th Century Philosophy. Students are encouraged to pursue studies in contemporary Continental and Anglo-American Analytic movements, and become acquainted with non-Western traditions such as those of East or South Asia, or Africa. Select courses focus on systematic areas such as Metaphysics, Ethics, Politics, Feminism, or Philosophy of Religion.
Why Study Philosophy?
Philosophy comes from the Greek for "love of wisdom" (philo.sophia). Philosophy — traditionally at the center of the liberal arts — examines life's fundamental questions. What is ultimately real? Who am I? What can I know? How do I decide right and wrong? Is there an ideal society? Philosophers using creative and analytical thinking inquire into these foundational problems about reality, knowledge, values, meaning, and society.
Most students of philosophy enjoy philosophy for its own sake. Life has a way of raising ultimate questions. Philosophy taps into the pleasures of the life of the mind. It is a conversation with the world's most influential thinkers: Socrates, Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke, Kant, Marx, and Nietzsche. Philosophy affects all other disciplines. It investigates connections among art, literature, law, medicine, business, psychology, science, religion, politics, and the environment.
Discover more reasons to consider the major:
Why Study Religion?
Religion as a field examines spiritual beliefs, teachings, practices, and worship. Courses in religion feature in-depth study of world religions and religious movements.
Religion opens the mind to a world of possibilities beyond the natural order. The study of religion fosters an appreciation for spiritual inquiry as well as respect for different religious traditions. Religious themes animate much of Western intellectual history, literature, and politics. Students in religion courses frequently use the opportunity to inquire into their own beliefs.
What Can I Do with a Philosophy Major?
Studying philosophy enhances one's life and experiences. Every professional job requires creativity, problem solving, analyzing, organizing, and clear communication. Philosophy develops these competencies, which are never obsolete. Where a position requires special knowledge, philosophy majors tend to learn quickly. Graduate schools and employers know philosophy majors are adept learners. Most college graduates take a first job that is outside their major. People commonly change jobs or even careers. A versatile mind goes with you everywhere.
Graduate School
When it comes to Graduate Record Exam scores for admission to graduate programs philosophy students do notably well. Physics majors are at the top among natural science students, economics majors top social science students, and philosophy majors have earned top scores among humanities students. Philosophy majors consistently score the highest of all majors on the verbal as well as the analytic writing portions of the GRE.
Law School
Philosophy and religion undergraduates consistently perform remarkably well on the standard Law School Admission Test. Law professors from top schools have noted a connection between early success in law school and having majored in such fields as philosophy, literature, mathematics, and physics. In the five years leading up to 2011, every philosophy major in our department applying to law school (that we are aware) obtained admission to a reputable law program.
Business School
New York Times articles* have also explored the advantages of the major for people entering the worlds of business and finance.
* Links to New York Times articles
- In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined
- Philosophers Find the Degree Pays Off in Life And in Work
- MUTUAL FUNDS REPORT: To Beat the Market, Hire a Philosopher; Bill Miller Rethinks Value, and Keeps Thumping the S. & P.
On the standard GMAT test for business schools, philosophy majors consistently score better than business and economics majors. Philosophy majors do fairly well on this test among all majors, not just in the humanities, except for physics, engineering, and math majors.
Medical School
For admission to medical school, people often assume science majors have the run of the field. The American Medical Student Association reports philosophy majors have the highest medical school acceptance rate among all majors at around 50%, surpassing even physics (42%) and biochemistry (43%), and topping biology (35%) and chemistry majors (39%) by double-digit percentages. (Science majors apply and get into schools in much higher total numbers, but the percentages indicate one’s chances.) This of course does not mean one gets into medical school by taking only philosophy courses. But it might suggest philosophy trains (and maybe attracts) people in ways that offer a critical edge in admissions processes.
Finally, Founding Father John Adams long ago recognized the importance of studying the discipline in making decisions of lasting social and political importance.
‘I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce, and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry, and Porcelaine.’
—John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams, May 12, 1780
Philosophy majors who have risen to the top of their field include: Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., Pope John Paul II, Bill Clinton, David Souter, William Bennett, Iris Murdoch, Harrison Ford, George Soros, George Stephanopoulos, Mary Higgins Clark, Steve Martin, Umberto Eco, Philip Glass, Philip K. Dick, Susan Sontag, John Elway, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.