Professors Farrelly-Jackson, Kurtsal, Palmer (Program Chair)
Philosophy has traditionally been the very center of the liberal arts. As most of the other disciplines that form the modern liberal arts curriculum have developed from philosophy to establish their own identities, philosophy continues to deal with problems that are fundamental to all disciplines. Philosophers inquire into structures that form the basis of all that exists, the ways we can justify our claims to knowledge, and the values and goals that guide individuals and society.
Allegheny’s Philosophy program pays particular attention to the question of the values and goals that ought to guide individuals and society by exploring lived experience and analyzing the social world. More specifically, courses examine the relationship between society and science through a study of the values that have challenged and have fostered scientific activities and technological developments. Courses also examine ethics as a personal ideal as well as democracy and economic development as global and multicultural ideals.