Student Perspective
“I think the biggest thing we can leverage as Lawrence students and Lawrence graduates is the tight connection that we’re able to have with alumni, with professors, and with our peers.”
Tarrel Nedderman '22
Philosophy
Brooklyn, New York
Unbagging First-Year Studies
Martyn Smith, director of First-Year Studies, unbags the 10 works being used in First-Year Studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Science Fiction and Philosophy
What can alternative science fiction worlds and speculative futures reveal about the nature of reality and our own condition? In answering this question we will engage philosophical puzzles inspired by science fiction in various forms: short stories, novels, television series and movies. Topics may include time travel, robot intelligence and consciousness, scientific knowledge, morality, political power, free will and personal identity.
From epistemology to ethics, philosophy courses cover specialized and interdisciplinary topics.
Not Just Studying the Classics
Courses engage students to bring methods of philosophical analysis to bear on other areas of inquiry, preparing them for careers in academe, business, government, law, and medicine, among others.
Stranger Things
Break out beyond the classroom and enjoy informal philosophical conversations with your peers during Philosophy Strange Thing. Interact and intellectualize in a weekly gathering in Main Hall's Strange Lounge. Engage in casual discussions of philosophical issues of both contemporary and enduring interest.
Plays Well with Others
Interested in discovering scientific knowledge, but also want to investigate what knowledge really is? Are you an artist who wants to inquire about the nature of art? The Philosophy program at Lawrence is designed to pair well with a variety of other majors, offering course reductions for double majors.
Philosophy Outcomes
While there aren’t always answers to the questions that arise while studying philosophy, there are always a variety of career pathways and advanced study opportunities made possible by a degree in philosophy.