Founded in 1894, the Department of Philosophy is one of the oldest philosophy programs in the country. Like MAPH itself, Philosophy at the University of Chicago is distinguished by its encouragement of research across traditional disciplinary divides. MAPH students concentrating in Philosophy often pursue coursework in other subject areas such as Classics, Comparative Literature, English Language and Literature, Gender and Sexuality, Human Rights, Linguistics, and Social Thought.
Selected Faculty
Sample Courses
PHIL 21601 - Introduction to Analytic Philosophy (Ben Callard)
This course is an exploration of the analytic tradition in philosophy. Our goals will be to philosophize in the analytic style; to develop a sense of the history of the tradition; and to answer meta-questions such as: What is distinctive about analytic philosophy? How does it differ from continental philosophy?
PHIL 24800 - Foucault & The History of Sexuality (Arnold Davidson)
How should a history of sexuality take into account scientific theories, social relations of power, and different experiences of the self? This course centers on a close reading of the first volume of Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality, with some attention to his writings on the history of ancient conceptualizations of sex.
PHIL 50213 - Late Wittgenstein (David Finkelstein)
This course is meant as an introduction to Wittgenstein's later work, with a focus on his Philosophical Investigations. Our central concerns will be: (1) Wittgenstein’s metaphilosophy; (2) meaning, rule-following, and intentionality; and (3) sensations and privacy.
PHIL 38203 – Hegel’s Philosophy of Right (Robert Pippin)
We shall seek to understand Hegel’s Elements of the Philosophy of Right, a book which is traditionally understood to contain Hegel’s “political philosophy. In Hegel’s terms, the book should also be understood as his theory of “objective spirit,” and we shall attempt to understand what that subject matter might be.
For a more complete list of courses and descriptions, visit the Philosophy course page.
Recent Philosophy Thesis Projects
“The Intelligibility of Failure: Pure versus Mixed Theories of Self-Knowledge”
Clark Feusier, MAPH ’12
Advisor: David Finkelstein
“Thompson’s Overlooked Reasons of Justice: Other Problems in the Internalist/Externalist Dichotomy”
Kristin Tyndall, MAPH ’12
Advisor: Candace Vogler
“Method as Mousikē: Sense-Perception and Image-Making in Plato’s Phaedo”
John Hanson, MAPH ’14
Advisor: Gabriel Lear
“A Matter of Life and Death: What is to be made of the Body in Being and Time?”
Anna Mirzayan, MAPH ’15
Advisor: Robert Pippin