Philosophy at St. Thomas

"The unexamined life is not worth living" -- so declared Socrates on trial for his life of philosophical inquiry.

The Philosophy Department at the University of St. Thomas is first and foremost about the examined life. We believe that exposure to the tradition of philosophy is essential to the process of liberal education, an education appropriate for a person free from the demands of constant labor and free to pursue activities that have provided humans in all ages and cultures with deep and lasting satisfaction.

The department offers two courses that are part of the University's core of required courses. The first introduces students to basic tools of logic and to philosophical perspectives on human nature and personhood; the second introduces them to philosophical principles that underlie moral responsibility and to ways in which these principles apply to problems of the contemporary world.

 

The 2012 St. Thomas Summer Seminar in Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology

Recent PhDs and current graduate students in philosophy, theology, or religious studies were invited to apply to participate in the 2012 St. Thomas Summer Seminar in Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology. Twenty selected participants will receive a stipend of $3,000 and will be provided with accommodations and meals for the duration of the seminar. Click here for more information.

 

The St. Thomas Philosophy of Religion Project prizes for work in the philosophy of religion and/or philosophical theology 

1) The 2011 Excellence in Philosophy of Religion Prize, and

2) The C.S. Lewis Book Prize.

Click here for more information and application guidelines.

 

The St. Thomas Philosophy of Religion Project announces the 2010 Excellence in Philosophy of Religion Prize Recipients

W. Matthews Grant for “Can a Libertarian hold that Our Free Acts are Caused by God?” Faith and Philosophy 27:1 (January 2010): 22-44.

David M. Holley for “Treating God’s Existence as an Explanatory Hypothesis” American Philosophical Quarterly 47:4 (October 2010): 377-88.

Yujin Nagasawa for “The Ontological Argument and the Devil,” Philosophical Quarterly 60 (October 2010): 72-91.

Click here for more information about the prize and the 2010 winners.