Philosophy
Wrestling with Life's Most Important Questions

Webster’s Third International Dictionary lists thirteen distinct definitions of the word “philosophy.” One of those definitions illustrates the need for such a long list: “a search for the underlying causes and principles of reality.” All reality is the province of philosophy. Hence, philosophy is both the most basic and the most abstract of all disciplines. As a discipline, philosophy has many branches: logic, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology, among others. But for the average person, two definitions of philosophy serve best. In one sense, a philosophy is a set of fundamental beliefs. In another, more academic sense, philosophy is a critical examination of the grounds for those fundamental beliefs.

Website

• Philosophy

Philosophy News

• Prof Writes Book On Seven Deadly Sins
• Prof. Hardy Wins Calvin's Top Teaching Honor
• Science, Philosophy and Belief
• Prof's Book Asks "What Happens After Death?"
• Science And Pentecostalism
• Prof Off To Cambridge
• Philosophy Meets City Hall

Alumni

• Calvin is ranked in the top 5% of all college graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D.

• Alumni of Calvin's Philosophy Department have gone on to some of the nation's finest PhD programs, including:
  • Yale
  • Harvard
  • Princeton
  • Michigan
  • Notre Dame
  • Pittsburgh
  • Cornell

• Many philosophy majors have succeeded in careers in:
  • Higher Education
  • Law
  • Government Service
  • Ministry

Profoundly Academic

• Sixteen full-time professors, all with Ph.Ds, teach all the classes from a Christian perspective.

• Virtual Library of Christian Philosophy

• Jellema Room allows students and faculty to mingle outside of class

• The Philosophy Department offers:
  • Philosophy Major
  • Philosophy Minor

Student Organizations

• Philosophy Symposium

Related Links

• Jellema Lecture Series
• Stob Lecture Series
• Transferring to Calvin For Philosophy
• Nicholas Wolterstorff On Calvin and Philosophy
• Faculty Publications
• Society of Christian Philosophers

Getting Started at Calvin

• Request more information
• Come visit campus
• Apply online