Philosophy
begins in wonder,as Socrates said.Philosophyitself meanslove of wisdom.Reflectively and systematically, the philosopher asks: What can I know? What is most real? What values and what standards of conduct are most justifiable? What is the ultimate meaning of life?
In philosophy courses, you’ll look at the fascinating boundaries and borderlines between philosophy and each of the liberal arts and sciences.
You’ll shine a philosophical light on everyday issues and concerns in popular culture, such as abortion, physician-assisted suicide, gay marriage, humanitarian aid, and evolution vs. intelligent design. Courses in which everyday-life, culturally based issues are addressed will give you a much deeper and more sophisticated understanding than you had previously.
You’ll read real philosophy (Plato’s Republic, Descartes’ Meditations, Searle’s Mind, Language, and Society, among other) that puts you in touch with the excitement and intrigue of the discipline as few secondary texts can do. You’ll find you’re capable of understanding difficult, complex and profound material – more than that, you’ll discover that how much you gain from the effort of reading such material makes it all worthwhile.
Post-graduate careers include:
- English
- Educational psychology
- Law
- Social psychology
- Institutional research
- Publishing
- Neurosciences lab technician
Because the concerns of philosophy cut across all other disciplines, its main value lies in how it contributes to integration within liberal education. Courses in this minor will give you broad exposure to philosophy, as well as a more focused approach related to mathematics, social sciences, natural sciences or the humanities.
- Requirements for a minor in Philosophy:
- 15 hours.