Philosophy

Chairperson: Heidi Northwood
Professor: Bowen-Moore, Ph.D. and Edelman, Ph.D.; Associate Professors: Northwood, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor: Campbell, Ph.D.

As a Philosophy student, you will explore questions that have challenged and perplexed humankind for millennia; what is more, you will learn the distinctive philosophical method, a method that allows one to navigate these questions and the various answers to them. After completing our introductory course, Logic and Inquiry, you might take courses which explore the relation between art and society, oppression and liberty, faith and reason, or how to live a good life, to mention just a few of many possibilities.

The Department of Philosophy’s goals are to introduce students to the philosophical life and foster an appreciation of liberal learning – pursuing knowledge and wisdom for their own sake, not as a means to something else. This means providing academically rigorous and comprehensive courses taught by individuals committed to excellence in teaching, and cultivating among faculty and students a vigorous community of philosophical dialogue and study.

Our graduates have entered a wide variety of professions. Some have entered business, others government agencies, education, and professions devoted to service. Regardless of their career choice, our alumni have found that the program’s rigorous and challenging curriculum and its emphasis on clear thinking, writing, and speaking have been beneficial to them.

In recent years, many of our Philosophy majors have gone on to graduate school in Philosophy, Law, Business Administration, History, English Literature, Religious Studies, and Education, at institutions such as Alfred University, the University of Kentucky, RIT, Boston College, SUNY at Buffalo, University of Denver, St Bernard’s Institute, SUNY at Binghamton, and the Claremont Graduate School.