What is Philosophy?

Philosophy deals with a range of fundamental questions.

• How are individual and community related?
• How should humans interact with the natural world?
• How should a person live?
• Generally speaking, what kinds of things can be known and what things are just matters of opinion?

The methods philosophers employ in addressing such questions include careful analysis of existing opinions and their implications, free speculation about possibilities of all sorts and rigorous critical reasoning to choose between theories.

How Does Philosophy Fit Into a Liberal Education?

The activity of philosophy is vital to liberal education. Since a primary purpose of liberal education is the development of a person, philosophical reflection on the nature and purpose of a good life is an essential component. Furthermore, when we attempt to answer some of the important questions that fall outside the special sciences, we engage in philosophy.

If we ask, for example, how the sciences obtain reliable knowledge, or whether there are meaningful questions that the sciences cannot answer, we engage in philosophical thought. We engage in philosophy when we ask about the implications of scientific knowledge for our common sense understanding of the world - when we ask, for example, how our belief in individual freedom and responsibility can be reconciled with the scientific presumption of determinism. Thus it is through philosophy that a student synthesizes the many facets of life and education into a personal whole. Finally, the methods of philosophy - questioning of common assumptions, analysis of ideas and theories, free speculation combined with the reasoned criticism - develop abilities that are themselves among the chief aims of liberal education.

What is the Value of an Education in Philosophy?

The philosophy department program is not primarily intended to develop professional philosophers, but to serve as the focus for liberal education. Although some majors go on to distinguished graduate schools, most make use of their philosophical training in other pursuits. We believe that a student becomes liberally educated not primarily by the accretion of information, but by grappling with fundamental questions about life and learning. Philosophy has a rich history of alternative answers to these questions, and we believe that by understanding these varied answers students are better able to formulate their own philosophies. Our curriculum aims at progressive development of mind and character by increasing students’ awareness of questions fundamental to a thoughtful life, and by developing the capacity for free, creative, critical thought and action.
 

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