Philosophy | University of Portland

Philosophy

A group of students studying outside

Why Study Philosophy at UP?

  • Hone your ethical thinking by participating in a nationally competitive ethics bowl team.
  • Question ingrained assumptions about the world. For example, are your actions really chosen by you? Do you have an enduring self? Can octopuses, trees and insects be conscious? Does science give us objective truth? Do our lives extend beyond a mere bodily existence? 
  • Explore how answers to such questions may affect the way you think about pressing problems of the world such as racial justice, climate change, pandemics, political discourse, education, and democracy.
  • Enhance the scope of any major or minor program by pairing it with a Philosophy degree, allowing you to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue that embraces current issues while grappling with philosophical texts from around the world. Neuroscience, Biology, Political Science, Ethnic Studies, Psychology, Environmental Studies, and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies are just a few of the disciplines students have complemented with a Philosophy degree.
Two students reading on the lawn outside Dundon Berchtold Hall

Potential Philosophy Career Paths

  • Education
  • Law
  • Business and Non-profit organizations
  • Medicine
  • Policy and Government

Philosophy Department