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Aug 25, 2025
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2025-2026 Franklin & Marshall College Catalog
Philosophy Major
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Most philosophy fits into one of four loose and overlapping groups. The first studies action: What should we do and how can we get ourselves to do it? This group includes ethics and social and political philosophy. A second group studies the nature and reliability of our knowledge. Here you will find epistemology and philosophy of science. A third group investigates the nature of the world and the self: What does it mean for something to exist? What distinguishes things from their properties? What is a person? This group includes metaphysics and the philosophy of mind. A fourth group analyzes symbolic systems through which humans represent meaning to themselves and to each other. These are studied in logic and the philosophy of language.
Every part of philosophy is connected with every other. To talk about what kinds of things exist, we also analyze how we can know about them, so metaphysics and epistemology often overlap. Human cognition depends on language, so epistemology and philosophy of language come together. To study why people act the way they do, you will draw on ethics as well as philosophy of mind; the two merge in moral psychology. Philosophy also analyzes the social and historical conditions that make it possible to ask such questions in the first place; it, therefore, always includes a study of its own history.
The Philosophy program at Franklin & Marshall acquaints students with these areas of philosophy by examining historical traditions as well as contemporary issues and topics. In addition, students cultivate skills in critical thinking and philosophical argumentation with the goal of helping them become participants in the philosophical enterprise. Lower-division courses in the department provide students with background in the history of philosophy and contemporary problems in philosophy, while upper-division courses engage students in discussion concerning cutting edge scholarship in the field. In PHI 301 philosophy majors interact directly with leading scholars who visit campus. Majors have the option of developing a substantial paper with the goal of presenting the project for departmental honors.
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Philosophy Department Faculty
Professor Stephan Käufer, Chair Bennett W. Helm
Dr Elijah E. Kresge Professor of Philosophy Stephan A. Käufer
John Williamson Nevin Memorial Professor of Philosophy Lee Franklin
Professor of Philosophy Nick Kroll
Associate Professor of Philosophy David Merli
Associate Professor of Philosophy Libby Southgate
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Major Requirements:
A major in Philosophy consists of 11 courses:One core history course from:
One course in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, or philosophy of mind:
Two semesters of PHI 301:
Five electives
A full list of regularly offered philosophy courses can be found on the Course Offerings page. Note:
- At least four courses beside PHI 301 must be numbered 300 or higher. At most, two courses may be numbered below 200.
- Majors considering graduate school in philosophy should take PHI 244 even if they take PHI 130 .
- The department’s program heavily emphasizes critical thinking, logically correct reasoning and clear, concise writing. The writing requirement in the Philosophy major is met by completion of the normal courses required to complete the major.
Off-Campus Study:
Majors in the Department of Philosophy have studied abroad in the following programs in recent years: DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia; IFSA University of Edinburgh; Budapest Semester in Cognitive Science; Sarah Lawrence College Program, Oxford University; F&M in Italy; F&M Travel Course in Tohoku Gakuin, Japan; SEA Semester; American Jr. Year in Heidelberg Program. See the International and Off-Campus Study section of the Catalog for further information. |
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