Mission Statement

It is the goal of the Department of Philosophy to foster investigation and understanding of fundamental philosophical issues.  To fulfill this aim, the Department strives first to teach its students the basic skills and practices of philosophical inquiry: careful and sympathetic understanding of others' ideas, thoughtful philosophical writing and conversation, analysis and questioning of key concepts, articulation of premises and conclusions, critical response to arguments, and development and support of one's own philosophical positions. Second, the Department provides its students with substantive knowledge both of the past history of philosophy and of contemporary philosophical debates.  Third, the Department seeks to be a resource on important conceptual, ethical, and broadly philosophical issues for the citizens of Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  In striving to achieve all of these outcomes, the Department: recognizes the value and importance of diversity; is committed to creating inclusive and equitable spaces wherever students, staff, and faculty gather to interact, and seeks to decolonize the discipline and practice of philosophy.

(revised September 2016)