Department of Philosophy

Welcome to the Department of Philosophy! 红领巾瓜报 has a vibrant, challenging philosophy program with faculty who teach and research a wide range of philosophical concerns.

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About Philosophy

A bachelor's degree in Philosophy equips you with a versatile skill set that is highly sought after in today's job market. Develop critical reasoning, analytical prowess, effective communication and ethical awareness 鈥� qualities that are invaluable in any career path.

What is Philosophy anyway?

Concentrations

Choose from four concentrations to customize your studies to your intellectual interests and goals.

Analytic Reasoning

Improve your critical thinking, logical reasoning, textual analysis, analytical writing, communication and research skills.

Ethics

Notice and prevent ethical problems in the real world, as well as mitigate and manage existing issues. You'll develop your skills in situational awareness, conceptual analysis, ethical evaluation and problem solving.

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Pre-Law

Gain a rich theoretical context for understanding the aims and methods of law, normative systems, and action guidance, as well as written and verbal practice developing argumentation and advocacy skills.

World Philosophy

Understand the foundations of diverse cultures and worldviews found in our increasingly integrated global society. You'll develop your cultural awareness, conceptual sophistication, and evaluative and problem-solving skills.

Philosophy Scholarships

Current WSU students interested in any Fairmount College scholarship, including philosophy, can submit an application through ScholarshipUniverse.

Apply for Philosophy scholarships

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Spotlight on Inclusive Excellence and Engagement

Dive into the rich tapestry of human thought with a diverse selection of courses that explore the metaphysics, epistemology and ethical systems developed around the world.

Some of our courses like PHIL 228 Introduction to Japanese Philosophy and PHIL 350 Ancient Chinese Philosophy focus on philosophy from a particular part of the world, or from a particular culture. Many of our courses include cross-cultural or global content. For example in Fall 2024 PHIL 360 Ethical Theory included African and Native American ethics content as well as Western theories like utilitarianism and deontology. Yet other courses delve into topics of critical concern for us all, like our two Spring 2025 AI related courses PHIL 355 Minds and Machines and PHIL 215 Intro to Ethics of Big Data and AI. Join us to get more our of your life and career.

Explore philosophy courses

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Student Testimonials

The benefits of philosophy are inexhaustive, which include greater analytical thinking, critical thinking and writing, as well as gaining the ability to take on and have a better appreciation of difficult questions regarding politics, economics, ethics and religion. For myself, philosophy has proven to be beneficial in furthering my education, as it has formulated a foundation for obtaining an MBA. I will forever be indebted to the gifts and values that come from this field, as it is not just a major but a skill that one acquires.

Matthew C. Rose
Philosophy Alumni, Class of 2018

See what Philosophy alumni are saying

Historic Fiske Hall

Dedicated in 1906, Fiske Hall is the oldest surviving building on 红领巾瓜报's campus and is home to the Department of Philosophy. Today, Fiske has been updated to include modern amenities to accommodate students, faculty and staff.

Learn more about our facilities

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More about Philosophy

Philosophy Events Faculty and Staff Logic Tutoring Clinic

Philosophy News

All department news

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Moral Philosophy

Two forthcoming articles by Dr. Hill

Dr. Hill has two forthcoming articles, "Why People Who Believe in God Fear Death" and "Strawsonian Hard Determinism". Click for more details

healthhum

Dr. Castro to speak on HealthHum panel

On March 28 at 1pm in Lindquist 326, Dr. Castro will discuss philosophy of medicine and AI as part of the panel "History and Philosophy of Health".

logic

Dr. Bondy publishes chapter "Informal logic"

Dr. Bondy's new chapter "Informal Logic" forthcoming in Routledge Handbook of Argumentation Theory offers a concise overview of the informal logic movement.

ethics

Dr. Hill publishes ethics of procreation paper

Dr. Hill's recent paper "Against Adoption-Based Objections to Procreation" concerns the moral permissibility of procreation in light of our duty to aid, the availability of adoption, poverty differentials, and climate change.

epistemology

Dr. Bondy publishes paper on epistemic paternalism

Dr. Bondy's recent paper "Can Rational Persuasion Be Epistemically Paternalistic?" addresses the nature of epistemic paternalism (roughly, this is interference in other people's inquiry and deliberations, for the sake of their own epistemic good), and considers whether or not rational persuasion can be epistemically paternalistic.

Dr. Hershfield Retires, Fall 2024

After a long career in the WSU Department of Philosophy, Dr. Jeffrey Hershfield is retiring at the end of the Fall 2024 semester. Recipient of the John R. Barrier Distinguished Teaching Award in Humanities and Social Sciences, he has most recently served as the Director of the Legal Education Accelerated Degree (LEAD) program, the Director of the MA in Liberal Arts (MALS) program, and as the Pre-Law Advisor for Philosophy. Please join us in wishing Dr. Hershfield all the best in his retirement.

Cookie Hurrah!

Come celebrate the end of the semester with us by decorating cookies (and eating them) in the Philosophy Library Annex, Fiske 009 from 11:00am - 1:00pm on Friday, December 6, 2024 from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

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Choosing Well and Living Well: How Friendships Matter in Engineering Ethics

Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 3:30pm in McKinley 218, Dr. Jason Matteson gave a talk on the importance of "common values friendship" in professional fields like engineering.