Philosophy
At its core, philosophy promotes inquiry aimed at understanding and truth. It raises questions concerning topics such as the nature of morality and justice, persons, God and religious belief, beauty, knowledge, science, reason, and reality. It seeks to answer such questions by critically examining arguments from a range of diverse perspectives informed by both historical and contemporary ideas. Inquiry also promotes agency. People familiar with the philosophical practice of giving and asking for reasons are able to recognize and evaluate evidence, to identify assumptions, to appreciate both the scope and limits of their knowledge, and to make better decisions. They are thereby better able to engage in the complex task of becoming people for and with others. The philosophy department encourages inquiry and promotes agency in a deliberately diverse and inclusive, student-centered moral and intellectual community.
Members of the Philosophy Department are active researchers and committed teachers. Our areas of scholarly expertise inform our teaching, inviting students to participate in on-going inquiry into and critical reflection on important topics in the discipline. We specialize in a wide range of areas including but not limited to social and political philosophy, various periods in the history of philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics, feminist philosophy, the philosophy of religion. Our faculty have published in the most prestigious journals in their fields and some have monographs with Oxford University Press and other outstanding venues.
To achieve the aims of philosophy in the University’s GEP, all students are required to take two philosophy courses: one course that deals with morality, PHL 154 Moral Foundations, and one course that deals with philosophical themes critical to reflection upon the nature of humans as persons. This second course can be chosen from among a number of courses in the Philosophical Anthropology area. In addition, students may choose to take a philosophy course to satisfy the GEP signature requirement in the Faith and Reason area.
Jesuit Tradition Signature GEP Course: PHL 154 Moral Foundations
A critical study of the various ways in which agents, actions, and social practices are evaluated from the moral point of view, as this has been articulated in major ethical theories. Tools for this study include an introduction to philosophical reasoning and concepts basic to the moral point of view, such as rights, duties, virtue and character. Theories studied include but are not limited to Consequentialism, Deontologism, and Natural Law. This course is a prerequisite for any Ethics Intensive course as well as for the required course in the Philosophical Anthropology area. The Moral Foundations course pursues the following student learning outcomes:
- Students will identify, analyze, evaluate, and construct arguments.
- Students will articulate moral concepts, principles, and theories from major Western moral traditions and employ them in constructing and critically evaluating moral arguments.
- Students will also understand the relevance of normative moral theory to philosophical consideration of issues pertaining to the diversity of human beliefs, abilities, experiences, identities, or cultures.
Variable GEP Course: Philosophical Anthropology
The requirement of a course in Philosophical Anthropology reflects the conviction that humans are beings who seek to explain to themselves who they are. To paraphrase St. Augustine, if no one asks me what a human being is, I know; if I want to explain it to a questioner, I do not know. The self-knowledge required to meet the challenge posed by Augustine’s questioner may be achieved by courses falling into one or more of the following general categories: the metaphysics of the person, individual and society, and the meaning of life. Philosophical Anthropology courses pursue the following student learning outcomes
- Students will articulate the complexity of the concept of personhood distinctive of the Jesuit, Catholic tradition through an understanding of a philosophical problem concerning human beings as rational, social, cultural, biological, aesthetic, or spiritual beings. Examples of such problems include freedom of the will, the nature of the mind and its relation to the body, the nature of the self and its social construction, human community and diversity, the meaning of death and life, the nature and significance of art, and the role of religion in human identity.
- Students will identify and explain features or conditions of human persons that ground, promote, or hinder their capacity to be agents—that is, the capacity to make choices, have responsibilities, or live meaningful lives.