Philosophy Department

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Courses in philosophy present ways of thinking about those fundamental questions which continue to arise no matter how much we think we know: What does it mean to be human? Is there a right way to live as a human? Is there a right way to live together as a society? As a species? What is our relationship to each other and to the earth? Is truth possible? Does history have or make any sense?

Philosophers see questions like these cutting across the boundaries of science, art, politics, religion--crucial to all these areas yet belonging to none of them, and demanding that we subject both our experiences and our beliefs to critical scrutiny.

On the other hand, every culture, every society, every human enterprise, grounds itself on beliefs which try to serve as answers to these fundamental questions. From this point of view, philosophy's task is to remind us that these historical 'answers' are always partial and tentative, never the final word, and that the questions which gave rise to them remain questions in spite of our best efforts. Still, we tend to think of these questions as having been settled by the answers we have given by way of our own belief systems and take those beliefs for granted as The Truth, simply and absolutely. Because it calls back into question those grounding beliefs we otherwise tend to take for granted, philosophy has always been considered central to liberal education, whose point is to generate citizens thoughtful about what is essential.

The philosophy program at Dickinson takes a balanced approach to three main tasks: (1) becoming familiar with the sorts of questions which engage philosophers; 2) critically evaluating the methods, ideas, and ways of thinking that have gone into their attempts to deal with these questions; and (3) making the transition from criticism to the level of original thought, where the questions have become truly one's own. We stress the close reading of primary texts and the ability to see these texts--and the philosophical issues they raise--in their proper historical and cultural contexts.

Because it couples rigor of thought with concern for all aspects of the human condition, the study of philosophy has always been regarded as an excellent foundation for public service, education, law, or policy-making. Philosophy is an ideal grounding for any field which requires a creative but critical approach to problem-solving, or an ability to get at the presuppositions which underlie our public institutions or our personal commitments.

Because philosophy touches on so many other fields of study, the department strongly supports double majors and interdisciplinary studies. Members of our faculty contribute to Environmental Studies, Policy Studies, Women's Studies, and Russian Area Studies.

Because experience of another culture is an excellent way of helping put one's own assumptions into questions, the department also encourages study abroad and courses which involve the perspectives of their cultures or civilizations. Many of our students in philosophy spend their junior year in the Dickinson program in Norwich, England, although many of our students have studied at universities all over the world: in China, Cameroon, and Australia.

Our undergraduate major provides a strong foundation for those wishing to pursue graduate work  in philosophy. Our alumni have gone on to Ph.D. programs in such institutions as University of Georgetown, University of Pennsylvania, University of Cincinnati, Penn State University, and Vanderbilt University. Other philosophy alumni have gone on into law, medicine, teaching, or into fields as diverse as arts management, human ecology, architecture, corporate management, urban planning, computer science, folklore, and film studies.