"Philosophy asks the simple question, what is it all about?"
- Alfred North Whitehead

Who am I? Why am I here? Does my life have meaning? In the classical sense philosophy represents an ongoing inquiry into the most basic issues of human existence. Plato, for instance, regarded philosophy as the intellectual pursuit of truth, beauty, and justice. More broadly, whatever concerns people concerns philosophy. General topics include human values and morality; the existence of God; law, government, and citizenship; social justice; and the nature of reality.

Derived from the Greek words philos (loving) and sophia (wisdom), philosophy is often defined as "the love of wisdom,” or the pursuit of truth. Whatever the specific subject matter, philosophy involves the reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths and a quest for understanding.

Through the exercise of critical thinking and creative imagination, philosophy develops one’s capacity to see the world from diverse social and cultural perspectives, and deepens one’s sense of the meaning and varieties of human experience. In this respect philosophy is the quintessential liberal arts discipline, naturally intertwined with other fields of study and representing the very heart of the University’s mission to equip students for meaningful lives and productive careers.

The domain of philosophy is traditionally organized into the following four core areas or branches:

• Logic is concerned with the nature of inductive and deductive reasoning, along with methods for distinguishing between strong and weak arguments.
• Ethics (sometimes called ‘moral philosophy’) investigates questions about good and bad, or right and wrong. Normative ethics seeks to provide a rational foundation for making moral decisions, whether in private or public life.
• Metaphysics investigates many problems, all related to the general question “what is the nature of reality?” Typical metaphysical questions include: Is the world really as it appears to be? What is time? What is space? Are human beings free, or is everything in the world causally determined?
• Epistemology studies the nature of knowledge and truth. What does it mean to know that such and such is true? What are the conditions or sources of knowledge? What are the limits of knowledge?

From these four core areas many sub-branches have grown, thereby demonstrating that the scope of philosophy is much broader than people ordinarily think:

• Philosophy of Religion
• Philosophy of Mind
• Philosophy of Language
• Philosophy of Science
• Political Philosophy
• Philosophy of Law
• Philosophy of Education
• Philosophy of Art
• And many more . . .