Philosophy investigates the foundations of reality, knowledge, and value. Examples of philosophical questions include: What is the mind and how is it related to the body What is the difference between knowledge and belief and how can we acquire knowledge Why is there so much moral disagreement and what does this say about the nature of morality And what is it for human beings to flourish and how can we organize society to promote human flourishing Students who study philosophy can expect to receive training in these fundamental areas of inquiry, and also in clear thinking, inventive synthesis, and precise expression. The Department offers a wide range of courses, including courses on historical figures, such as Plato and Kant, traditional philosophical topics, such as the nature of time, free will, beauty, and the just society, and several that deal with the philosophy of various disciplines outside philosophy itself, such as science, artificial intelligence, medicine, and law.
Since philosophy often reflects on fundamental concepts in other areas of intellectual inquiry, philosophy is an excellent second major or minor to pair with many other programs of study. For example, students in political science can take courses in ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of law, students in linguistics and computer science can take courses in logic, formal methods, and philosophy of language, and students in psychology can take courses in the philosophy of mind and human reasoning.