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.
The next colloquium talk of the academic year will be Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. Eva Man (Hong Kong Baptist University) will be speaking on the topic “The Relation of 'Self' and 'Others' in the Confucian Traditions and Its Implications to Global Feminisms and Public Philosophies.” The talk will be in Raynor Library Conference Center B&C at 3:30, with a reception to follow in Coughlin Hall 139. Click here to download the poster for the talk.
The Deartment is offering a wide array of courses for Spring 2009.
Click here for a description of the undergraduate electives being offered.
Click here for a list of all undergraduate courses being offered.
At the 2009 Annual meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association, Fr. Roland Teske, S.J., the Donald J. Schuenke Chair of Philosophy Emeritus, was awarded the Aquinas Medal in recognition of his distinguished record of scholarship. Congratulations to Fr. Teske on this prestigious award.
