About the Ph.D. and M.A. Programs.

Political Philosophyat Tulane

About the 4 + 1 M.A. in Philosophy

Along with mathematics, philosophy is one of the two oldest intellectual disciplines and it has always been a central component in the university curriculum.

There are many areas of philosophical enquiry. Perhaps the easiest way to begin to understand what philosophy is all about is by considering the kinds of questions which prompt philosophical reflection. But you may also get a sense of why you might want to pursue philosophy as a major by looking at some other propaganda and our major and minor page.

Three of the most important kinds of questions that philosophers ask, along with a number of examples, are as follows:

• Questions about life and how we should treat each other:

  These include: What is the good life? How should we treat each other? Is ethical truth relative to a culture? What political system should we have? Why are liberty and democracy important? Questions like these are considered by political philosophy and ethics (or moral philosophy).




• Questions about the ultimate nature of the world:

  These include: Is there a God? Is everything made of matter? Are minds separate from bodies? Do people have free will? What is it for one event to cause another? These questions fall under the jurisdiction of metaphysics.




• Questions about what we know and how we know it:

  What is knowledge? Could the things we believe about the world be radically wrong (might you really be brain in a vat on Alpha Centauri, being stimulated by a mad neuroscientist to have the sensory experiences you in fact have)? Is religious belief rational? This is the domain of epistemology.

In philosophy courses, questions like these may be approached directly or through the writings of influential thinkers of the past (for details, look at our courses page).

One of the most distinctive things about philosophy is that philosophers are concerned not just with stating particular views. They attempt to develop reasons for their views by giving arguments. So, in addition to looking at particular issues, philosophers have always been interested in logic and the nature of reason. As a result, most philosophy students develop a keen sense of how to think well.