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.
Help support the Department of Philosophy at Marquette.
Click on giving and in the drop down menu of the "Designation Box," select "other," then copy and paste the following phrase "Friends of Philosophy" into the box labeled "other."
Congratulations to Adriana Kowal who has received the 2012-2013 Thomas C. Anderson Graduate Teaching Award.
Three graduate students have been awarded dissertation fellowships for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Catlyn Origitano has been awarded a Smith Family Fellowship. Chad Kleist and Trevor Smith have been awarded Arthur J. Schmitt Fellowships. Congratulations!
Dr. Linda Martín Alcoff (Professor of Philosophy at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center)
has been awarded a 2013-14 University Metcalfe Chair. The Ralph H.
Metcalfe Chair is named for Marquette alumnus Ralph Metcalfe. It is a non-residential chair
that brings an African-American, Latina/o or Native American scholar from any academic
discipline to Marquette University. Since 1982, the Metcalfe Chair has enriched the university
with a roster of notable scholars. Dr. Alcoff will meet with faculty, and students, give a public
lecture, and a lecture in the Colloquium series. The exact dates of her visit to campus are still
to be determined.
