About Us

Our Department

Mission Statement

To develop and nurture philosophical inquiry for students and faculty in a humanistic environment, one that is conducive to free and open investigation of a broad array of philosophical issues, problems, methods, questions, and answers, and one that values a dynamic relationship between theory and lived experience in which each informs and transforms the other.

Interdisciplinary & Intertraditional

UNC Charlotte’s Department of Philosophy offers outstanding and competitive undergraduate and graduate programs in the study of philosophy. Our faculty engage in a broad range of research projects, and they bring their expertise into the classroom. Our primary focus is on the interdisciplinary nature of philosophy and how it applies to such subjects as science, literature, art and information technology, among others. We also focus on contemporary issues in biomedical, business, environmental and professional ethics through our Center for Professional and Applied Ethics.

Our faculty regularly teach classes that are cross-listed in other departments across campus. For example, Dr. Damien Williams co-teaches the “Data and Society” sequence in the new School of Data Science.

The department aspires to embody an intertraditional approach to philosophy, by which we mean that we support and pursue work within and between differing philosophical traditions. This is more than a commitment to pluralism or the retention of specialists representing analytic, continental and pragmatist traditions. Rather, we aim to build a culture where these subdisciplinary boundaries are less important than the resources they provide for addressing concrete problems.

Philosophy

Why study philosophy?

Philosophy helps students develop strong skills in writing, critical thinking, reading and understanding complex texts. These skills are indispensable to any professional. The study of philosophy also provides a deeper understanding and enjoyment of the challenges and issues students face throughout their personal and professional lives. Courses in critical thinking and logic are a benefit to students in all their course work and can be especially useful to students who plan to enter graduate school, law school, and various other professional fields. See also Why Every Student Should Study Philosophy.

Why study the Liberal Arts?

For a sustained defense of studying the liberal arts, Dr. Nicholaos Jones, a professor of philosophy at the University of Alabama, wrote the article Liberal Arts and the Advantages of Being Useless.