How should we live? What gives our lives meaning and purpose? What should we believe, and how can we be confident that our beliefs are true? These are the questions that have occupied philosophers for centuries, and that occupy us as we live our lives. Philosophy seeks to give rigorous, well thought out answers to these questions, or, at least, to help us frame the right approaches in the search for truth. At Marquette, we pursue these and other perennial issues primarily through the study of Western philosophical traditions from their Greek origins to contemporary thought.
The Philosophy Department has 27 regular full-time faculty, with a wide range of teaching and research interests. The department has a long tradition of research strengths in Medieval Philosophy and Continental Philosophy. During the past fifteen years, the department has greatly expanded teaching and research strength in ethics, social, and applied philosophy.
For undergraduates, the department offers a major with three specialization tracks: History of Philosophy; Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy; and Ethics and Values. For graduate students, we offer a Ph.D. that allows for specialization in all areas of the history of philosophy as well as many systematic areas. We also offer an M.A with specializations in the History of Philosophy and Social and Applied Philosophy.
Descriptions for Spring 2009 upper division electives are located in the Philosophy Department's electives for spring 2009 document (PDF).
The Philosophy Graduate Student Association will be sponsoring their 10th annual conference on March 27-28. View the call for papers (PDF).
The 2009 Aquinas Lecture will be held on February 22 at 3:00 PM. Prof. Daniel Garber (Princeton University) will present the lecture this year. The title of the lecture: "What Happens After Pascal's Wager: Living Faith and Rational Belief." Learn more about Prof. Garber.
