UE's Program in Philosophy

"Death of Socrates" Jacques-Louis David (1787)

The 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once wrote that “philosophy is not a theory but an activity.” Along similar lines, we can say that philosophy is not a topic or a body of beliefs, but a skill. Often characterized as the art of questioning presuppositions, philosophy encourages a critical approach to ideas, accepting nothing without argument and putting the apparently obvious in its proper context of complexity. The philosophy program at the University of Evansville follows this lead by endorsing a skills-oriented approach to the perennial and difficult questions that have characterized the discipline since the beginning. These questions address the nature of reality, knowledge, and ethics as they apply across a variety of topic domains.

Beginning with an introduction to ethics and a solid foundation in the history of philosophy and logic, philosophy students at UE develop their skills further by considering several areas of application. This advanced investigation happens through upper-division study concerning the nature of law, knowledge, mind, religion, and science. Courses are also available in two areas of applied ethics, environmental ethics and bioethics. Close textual work is encouraged by a required seminar dedicated to philosophical classics, and several selected-topics seminars allow students to explore areas not offered in the regular curriculum.

The Right Environment for Philosophy

Upper-division philosophy courses at UE tend to be small, often enrolling between ten and fifteen students. This helps to foster the proper context for philosophical interaction between students and their professors. It also encourages careful reading, plenty of opportunities for paper writing, and a rich environment for discussion and debate. Students grow quickly in this environment, and many have reworked their course papers for presentation at undergraduate philosophy conferences across the country. Students from our program have also gone to philosophy competitions—yes, there are such things—and summer workshops.

Career Areas

Philosophy focuses heavily on the development of critical thinking, reading, writing, and discussion. These skills form a solid foundation for a variety of careers, including positions in environmental ethics, bioethics, business, government, and public policy. The study of philosophy also provides the necessary tools to succeed in a variety of graduate programs, including philosophy, business, history, law, political science, and religion, and all of our students who have wanted to go to graduate school in philosophy have been accepted at suitable, well-recognized programs. However, to make the most out of their degree and increase their range of career opportunities, most philosophy majors at UE complement their study with a second major. Recently, these second majors have included cognitive science, economics, history, literature, mathematics, physics and psychology.

Philosophy majors throughout the ages have worked in a wide variety of professions. Here’s a list of some of the more famous and their careers:

Pat Buchanon (Political Analyst), Pearl Buck (Writer, Winner of the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes), Ethan Coen (Filmmaker), T. S. Eliot (Poet), Harrison Ford (Actor), Richard Gere (Actor), Philip Glass (Composer), Phil Jackson (NBA Basketball Coach), Thomas Jefferson (Former U.S. President), Steve Martin (Comedian and Actor), Stone Philips (Broadcast Journalist), Gene Siskel (Movie Critic), Alexander Solzhenitsin (Political Dissident and Writer), George Soros (Billionaire Financier), David Souter (Supreme Court Justice), Alex Trebek (Host of TV’s Jeopardy), Pierre Trudeau (Former Prime Minister of Canada), Elie Wiesel (Human Rights Activist), and Pope John Paul II (Religious Leader).

The University of Evansville cannot, of course, guarantee that all philosophy majors will be this successful. But the ambitious student will find that the discipline of critical thinking and analysis that comes with the study of philosophy will be applicable to a wide range of career choices. To see what many of our former students are doing after graduating from UE, visit the list of alumni on our Faculty, Students and Alumni page.

Affiliation with Cognitive Science

The philosophy program at UE is closely aligned with the cognitive science program. In collaboration with faculty from the Department of Psychology, all of the philosophy faculty teach courses that are included in the cognitive science major. These include, in particular, Early Modern Philosophy, Logic, Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, and Philosophy of Mind. This close affiliation between philosophy, cognitive science, and psychology allows students to pursue a variety of major and minor combinations that are designed to fit together. Prospective students are invited to consider the range of options afforded by the close affiliation of these programs.