About
In VCU's Department of Philosophy, we offer an undergraduate major in philosophy as well as minors in philosophy and the philosophy of law.
We offer a full range of courses in the main areas of philosophy. Our graduates have attended some of the best graduate and law schools in the country. Many students take philosophy courses for general education requirements or simply to ensure a well-rounded education that includes an emphasis on improving reasoning and writing abilities.
What is philosophy?
Philosophy concerns fundamental questions about reality, knowledge and how we should live that fall outside the scope of science. Very roughly, it can be thought of as comprising five main areas:
- Metaphysics (the nature of reality): Does God exist? Does an objective world exist independently of our minds? What is the relation between the mind and the body? What is the nature of personal identity? Is free will compatible with determinism? What is the nature of causation?
- Epistemology (the theory of knowledge): What is knowledge? How do I know that I am not now dreaming or hallucinating? Can we have knowledge of things we have not observed, such as an electron or the distant past? Can we have knowledge of the future?
- Ethics, Political Philosophy and Aesthetics (value theory): What is the nature of morality and justice? What are the correct principles of morality and of justice? What sorts of legal and social institutions are just? What is beauty? What makes an object a work of art?
- Logic and Philosophy of Language (the study of the main tools of philosophy): What makes an argument valid? What is truth? How do linguistic terms refer to objects in the world?
- History of Philosophy: the study of the great philosophical works of the past, such as works by Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche.
Philosophy addresses questions about the ultimate nature of reality including our place in it. It does this through careful analysis of concepts, claims, and arguments. It clarifies meanings, challenges assumptions, and questions inferences.
Our Mission
The Philosophy Department is committed to teaching courses that (1) develop students’ abilities to think critically and systematically about philosophical problems, both abstract and practical, and to write clearly and cogently about them and (2) give the students some knowledge of the history and current state of philosophy.
In addition, the department is equally committed to producing high quality philosophical research results, to presenting these results at nationally and internationally recognized professional meetings, and to publishing the results as articles in nationally and internationally recognized journals or as books with nationally and internationally recognized presses.
Finally, the department is committed to serving as a resource to the philosophy profession, VCU and the Richmond and state communities on philosophical issues bearing on social and public affairs.
Why study philosophy?
The most basic benefit of studying philosophy is that it increases your ability to think, read and write critically, which are crucial skills most professions. Explore the value of a philosophy degree.