The study of philosophy develops skills in interpreting texts, thoughtfully responding to other viewpoints, constructing and evaluating argumentation, and the disciplined imagining of novel possibilities for human knowing, valuing, and living. In addition to its intrinsic interest and value, it also provides excellent training for graduate, medical, law, or business school, and prepares students for a variety of potential careers, from the corporate world to nonprofit work to creative, educational, or entrepreneurial pathways.

Bucknell’s philosophy curriculum offers courses in a wide variety of subjects, figures, historical periods, traditions, movements, and methodological perspectives. Some courses focus on general fields such as ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, epistemology, and logic. Others raise philosophical questions about topics such as mind, language, art, music, science, religion, politics, gender, and law. Historically oriented courses range from the earliest Greek philosophers through revolutionary 20th-century thinkers such as Heidegger and Wittgenstein. Still others span whole philosophical traditions (Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Jewish) or survey specific movements (existentialism, phenomenology, analytic philosophy, feminist philosophy).