Philosophy
The aim of philosophy at the university is to recover the possibility of a wisdom dealing with those “first things” which ground and locate human experience within the whole of being. Philosophy is impelled by reference to the totality that is distinctive of human existence. It analyzes the frameworks within which other human endeavors occur and recommends ways in which they might be situated so as to throw light on the character of the totality. Such illumination, in turn, affects those other human endeavors by giving them perspective. By reason of its location in a Catholic institution, the Department is particularly interested in the ways Revelation has led to developments within a properly philosophic wisdom available to believers and nonbelievers alike.
The major tool of philosophic research lies in the careful study of classical texts from Plato and Aristotle to Heidegger and Wittgenstein. The cultivation of competence in logic and facility in at least one classical and one modern language are viewed as indispensable auxiliaries in the project. The underlying conviction is that texts which have continually drawn the readership of reflective minds throughout the centuries contain profound insights into the fundamental issues of being and thought and that we neglect such insights at our own peril, especially since they have been instrumental in the formation of our own mental horizon. Hence polemical reaction takes second place to sympathetic dialogue. Not so much “Where do they go wrong?” as “What did they see?” governs the approach. Such an approach does not aim at the indifferent cataloguing of historical positions. Rather, it aims at understanding “the things themselves” through dialogue with the masters. The aim is to see the same things in different ways and thereby learn to assess the value and limitations of the differing ways with a view toward an ever-deepening wisdom of the whole.
The curriculum is divided into historical and topical courses. The historical courses (with 6000 numbers) deal with an epoch or an individual thinker; the topical courses (offered at the 7000 level) with an area (e.g. ethics or metaphysics) or an issue (e.g. immortality or potentiality). But both types of courses are, in different ways, historical and topical. The topical courses draw from the entire textual history while the historical courses engage the issues through the thinker or thinkers studied. The research seminars, which are listed at the 8000 level, are the most advanced courses. Their themes typically reflect the faculty’s own current research.
Requirements
Courses in Philosophy
PHI 5301–5310: Cross-listed Courses. These numbers indicate undergraduate courses taken for graduate credit. Appropriate additional work for graduate students is assigned.
See M.A. Philosophy for description of 5000-level courses listed below.
Historical Sequence
631X–636X are offered sequentially in a three-year cycle in order to give students the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the entire history of Western philosophy.
Topical Courses
Topical courses are devoted to reflection in some of the fundamental areas of philosophical inquiry. Building on readings from the tradition of Western philosophy, they are aimed not merely at textual exegesis, but at understanding the “things themselves.”
Research Seminars
The Research Seminars are advanced courses usually restricted to doctoral students. They reflect current faculty research, both on particular thinkers and on specialized topics.