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A primary
goal of the philosophy program is to present
some of the great questions of our discipline
and challenge our students to develop answers
to them. Such questions include:
- How do we determine what is morally
right and wrong?
- In what does a worthwhile life
consist?
- Is
freedom possible if our actions are
determined by physical law?
- If
things constantly change, how can anything
persist through time?
- What is knowledge, and how do we have
it?
- What is the mind, and can it be
understood scientifically?
- Can God's
existence, or non-existence, be proven?
- Why is there
anything rather than nothing?
Our program examines the history of these
important subjects (from the pre-Socratics to
the 20th-century) but also engages students in
contemporary discussion of them. We
emphasize the crafts of analytical thinking,
writing, and speaking, along with the
cultivation of a critical attitude toward
one's own beliefs and values. These skills are
invaluable in everyday life and in most
occupations that demand leadership and
administrative ability.
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News
Congratulations to Harry
Chalmers ('12) whose paper, "On
the Incompatibility of Free Will and
Determinism," won the Kentucky
Philosophical Association's Student
Essay Contest! Chalmers will
present his paper at the conference at
Centre on Saturday, April 28.
Congratulations to Madeleine
Wattenberg ('12) who will be a
fellow at the Kierkegaard
Library at St. Olaf College this
summer!
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