Studying philosophy empowers you to formulate hard questions through critical inquiry and ongoing conversations surrounding meaning, power, reasoning, knowledge, and existence.

You’ll also explore other areas of study through the lens of philosophy with interdisciplinary courses, applying the framework of philosophical reasoning to important questions in other fields.

From epistemology to ethics, philosophy courses cover specialized and interdisciplinary topics.

Explore the philosophy coursework requirements.

Get to know your philosophy faculty.

philosophy professor talking to student in front of backboard

Not Just Studying the Classics


Courses engage students to bring methods of philosophical analysis to bear on other areas of inquiry, preparing them for careers in academe, business, government, law, and medicine, among others.

Students talk in Strange Commons

Stranger Things


Break out beyond the classroom and enjoy informal philosophical conversations with your peers during Philosophy Strange Thing. Interact and intellectualize in a weekly gathering in Main Hall's Strange Lounge. Engage in casual discussions of philosophical issues of both contemporary and enduring interest. 

Brain model

Plays Well with Others


Interested in discovering scientific knowledge, but also want to investigate what knowledge really is? Are you an artist who wants to inquire about the nature of art? The Philosophy program at Lawrence is designed to pair well with a variety of other majors, offering course reductions for double majors.

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Graduate at Commencement ceremony at Banta Bowl June 2021

Philosophy Outcomes


While there aren’t always answers to the questions that arise while studying philosophy, there are always a variety of career pathways and advanced study opportunities made possible by a degree in philosophy.

On Any Given Day...

...discover an array of opportunities that await you at Lawrence University.

Academics

Unbagging First-Year Studies

Martyn Smith, director of First-Year Studies, unbags the 10 works being used in First-Year Studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Row of books.
Course

Eating has become a complicated activity. We will examine some of the hard ethical questions facing policymakers and individuals: How should government regulate our food choices? When, if ever, is it ethical to eat animals? Are there any moral reasons to favor local food producers? Is gluttony a moral fault?

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