Philosophy (BA)

Philosophy literally means “love of wisdom,” and for most of human history anyone who pursued knowledge was considered a philosopher. Today, the term “philosophy” refers to a narrower academic discipline, though philosophers still continue to seek answers to life’s most important questions: How should I live? What can I know? Does God exist? Do numbers? What is the nature of language and the human mind? Of science and art? Of meaning, logic and truth?

The Department of Philosophy offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Philosophy. The course of study is designed to provide students with a critical background in logic and argumentation, as well as an extended introduction to some of the most important philosophical themes and traditions from ancient to contemporary times.

Please see the UNLV College of Liberal Arts, Department of Philosophy for information about department programs, faculty and facilities.  Degree worksheets and 4/5 year plan for the major are available on the UNLV Degrees Directory.

Learning Outcomes

Goal I: To exhibit facility in the theory and practice of argumentation, reasoning, and critical thinking;

Students shall be able to:

1. Master the practice of reasoning well including:
   • The ability to construct clear and concise summarizations and assessments of the reasoning in complex passages by
     • Extracting their conclusions,
     • Distilling the lines of reasoning in support of those conclusions, and
     • Evaluating how well such reasoning supports those conclusions.
   • The ability to construct cogent arguments for their own conclusions and to express their reasoning in a coherent and convincing manner.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence with, the theory, of argumentation and logic through their abilities to:
   • Describe different approaches to logical theory, and to articulate their aims and scope,
   • Define and apply central concepts and techniques of logical theory,
   • Describe major results of logical theory, and
   • Sketch how to arrive at those results.

Goal II: To demonstrate an understanding of the classics of Western philosophy form antiquity to the present;

Students shall be able to:

• Identify major  works or figures from at least three periods of the history of Western philosophy,
• Articulate and, when appropriate, compare or contrast, the overall philosophical positions taken by these works or figures,
• Summarize the major motivations or  arguments for these positions,
• Present objections that have been raised or could be raised to these positions,
• Assess the relative merits of these arguments and objections.

Goal III: To demonstrate knowledge about central problems in major branches of contemporary philosophical theory, such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and the philosophy of science;

Students shall be able to:

• Identify central issues or debates in at least three core areas of contemporary philosophical theory,
• Articulate and, when appropriate, compare or contrast, different views that might be taken with respect to these issues,
• Summarize major motivations or arguments for these alternative positions,
• Assess the relative merits of these arguments and objections.

Career Possibilities

No matter what career one is interested in, philosophy will provide a sound base on which to build. Many employers look for people who can think soundly and clearly about difficult problems, and the  primary aim of a philosophical education is to develop such critical and analytical skills. Philosophy students have become bankers, lawyers, civil servants, journalists, writers, professors, teachers, information technology specialists, business executives and analysts, politicians, consultants, physicians, and members of the clergy. Philosophy students enjoy an advantage in applying for graduate and professional programs. On average, they score significantly higher than other students on the LSAT, GMAT, and GRE exams. For more career options, please visit the following link through the Wilson Advising Center.