{"id":8799,"date":"2026-02-09T15:57:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/academics\/?page_id=8799"},"modified":"2026-04-03T14:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:52:13","slug":"philosophy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/academics\/majors-and-minors\/philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Visit the full Philosophy site<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Philosophy is the careful, in-depth study of humanity\u2019s most basic ideas, presuppositions, and beliefs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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With the goal of first understanding who we are, how the world is, and how we conceive the world, philosophy seeks to then challenge those conceptions and why we hold them. Courses within this major welcome and celebrate a diversity of opinions, with students encouraged to examine why <\/em>they hold certain views and learn to think critically about these views. Students leave the major with a new lens through which to view our world and the people in it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Contact Us<\/h5>\n\t

Jeanne Beliveau – Academic Administrative Assistant
\n7 Andrews Road
\nHedge Hall
\n Phone: 207-786-8204\n<\/span>jbelive2@bates.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>

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What You Will Learn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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To develop a sense of the intrinsic value of philosophical reflection and contemplation<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to use reason to analyze, reconstruct, and evaluate claims and arguments<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to read and respond critically to philosophical arguments, including situating written material in the appropriate context<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to develop an individual voice in both writing and speech<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to craft well-reasoned, creative arguments that can be articulated clearly and defended soundly<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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To be able to connect philosophical knowledge to other fields and to non-philosophical topics<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Life After Bates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Philosophy majors at Bates have gone on to successful careers that require finely tuned critical thinking skills and the ability to craft complex arguments. These fields vary from science to government to economics. In addition, graduates have continued their education at medical school, law school, or other graduate schools, where their strong foundation in philosophy gives them a much-needed perspective on our world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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94%<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

of 2020-2024 Bates graduates are employed and\/or attending graduate school \u2014 settled into their next opportunity within 6 months of graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Selected Places of Employment\/Service<\/h6>\n\n\n\n