Philosophy

Philosophy deals with a variety of important questions in our lives by means of distinctive methods such as careful reasoning, rigorous conceptual analysis, construction of sophisticated arguments, and so on. Among the questions philosophy explores are those on fundamental topics such as "What is knowledge?", "Do we have free will?", "Does God exist?" as well as questions closer to our everyday lives such as "Is abortion or eating animals morally permissible?", "Can a highly developed A.I. have the same phenomenal consciousness as a human being?", and many more.

Our department offers B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. programs. We aim to create an environment in which students are exposed to a wide range of topics, from the latest issues being actively discussed by contemporary philosophers to more traditional topics in the history of philosophy. The undergraduate program offers the following courses: courses by philosophical classification of topics including "Logic", "Ontology/Metaphysics", "Epistemology", "Philosophy of Language", "Ethics", "Social/Political Philosophy", "Philosophy of Mind", "Philosophy of Science", "Philosophy of History", "Philosophy of Culture", "Philosophy of Art", and "Philosophy of Religion"; courses by period/region/method classification including "Ancient Philosophy", "Medieval Philosophy", "Modern Philosophy", "History of Analytic Philosophy", "Phenomenology", "Hermeneutics", and"Existentialism", and"French Philosophy". Students who enter the graduate program are able to focus on their interest areas of study and pursue their philosophical studies in depth.

Studying philosophy develops the skills for analyzing and synthesizing various issues that arise in academic, social, cultural, and artistic contexts, and strengthens the ability to examine these issues in more logical, critical, and creative ways. Our undergraduate program provides an ideal environment for undergraduate students to develop these skills and abilities. In addition, the department provides many opportunities for philosophical discussion and writing that enhance students' ability to express and elaborate their thoughts more logically and clearly. These abilities are critical for success in a wide variety of academic and non-academic careers after graduation. Our graduate program also provides an ideal environment for cultivating experts in specific areas of philosophy and will help students acquire a wide range of specialized knowledge and write high-quality papers by developing their views more logically and creatively.