Notice for Spring 2020 only:
The Philosophy Department will allow any philosophy course taken during the Spring 2020 with a passing grade to count toward the philosophy major.
Menu
Tools
The Department of Philosophy at Amherst welcomes all students, from those who would like to sample a course or two, to those who would like to major in the discipline and perhaps even study the subject in graduate school.
Notice for Spring 2020 only:
Department Highlights
About Philosophy
What is philosophy? Why Study Philosophy? Here are just a few of the many reasons.
Learn More
About the Major
An Amherst philosophy education conveys a sense of wonder about ourselves and our world, through exploration of philosophical texts and personal engagement with philosophical issues.
Learn More
Lecture in Philosophy
Every year, the Amherst Lecture in Philosophy brings a distinguished philosopher to campus for a public lecture.
Learn More
Our History
The teaching of philosophy has a rich history at Amherst College.
Learn More
Alumni
Meet our alumni, including those teaching philosophy at colleges and universities around the world.
Learn MorePhilosophy Courses
Current Courses
PHIL 111
Philosophical Questions
Description
Explore issues pertaining to religious conviction, knowledge, mind, freedom, ethics, and value through critical engagement with written work in the philosophical tradition.
PHIL 217
Ancient Greek Philosophy
Description
An examination of the origins of Western philosophical thought in Ancient Greece, with particular attention paid to questions about the nature, sources and limits of human knowledge.
PHIL 364
Kant
Description
An examination of the central metaphysical and epistemological doctrines of the Critique of Pure Reason, including both the historical significance of Kant's work and its implications for contemporary philosophy.