Philosophy is the Love of Wisdom

Traditionally, philosophical wisdom has meant more than simple acquaintance with facts or information. The various branches of philosophy ask different fundamental questions.

• Metaphysics searches for the principles of reality
• Ethics enquires into the nature of goodness, moral principles and norms
• Epistemology asks what we can know
• Logic seeks the principles of clear reasoning and argumentation 
• Aesthetics examines the essence of art and beauty
• Political philosophy focuses on individual and communal rights and obligations  

Applied lessons

At Suffolk, we hold that wisdom means an integration of theory with practical life, and so our department has a special interest in ethics as well as social and political philosophy. We look beyond theory to applied and professional ethics, exploring problems confronting our society and the world. Some of our courses offer a service-learning component that relates what we study in the classroom to ethical and social problems in our own community.

Philosophy hones analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills that apply to any discipline—from art history to journalism to biology. Through careful reading, rigorous assignments, and class participation, our students develop their writing and public speaking skills. They awaken to a spirit of open-minded inquisitiveness and the pleasure of thoughtful questioning.

Our faculty takes pride in working closely with students in an informal, collegial atmosphere. We sponsor extra-curricular reading groups and colloquia. And we maintain an interdisciplinary approach, with courses taught in philosophy of art, literature, feminism, race and gender, religion, psychology, politics and law, among others.

Preparing for a career

The Philosophy major prepares students to pursue careers in academia, community and public service, secondary teaching, health services and medical ethics, business, writing, and journalism. The major also provides a solid foundation for law school, graduate school or other professional programs.

Sponsored events

The Department sponsors the  Pearl Lecture Series in Philosophy and Public Affairs.  We have featured speakers such as Linda Meyer (Quinnipiac School of Law) on the concept of mercy; Joseph Prabhu (CalState LA) on Gandhi's religious ethics; Steven Esposito (Boston University Department of Classics) on the limits of the human city in Sophocles and Thucydides; David Roochnik (Boston University) on Aristotle's politics of place; Thomas Pogge (Columbia University) on global poverty; John McCumber (UCLA) and Joseph Prabhu (Cal State LA) on philosophy after 9/11; Rami Kaplan on conscientious objection and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and Glenn Loury (Boston University) on whether black Americans are a people.

In Spring of 2006 we hosted Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on human rights in Iran, as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar to Suffolk.