No brief definition expresses the richness and variety of philosophy.? It is a reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths, a quest for understanding, a study of principles of meaning and conduct.? It seeks variously to establish, and to set into question, standards of evidence, to provide rational methods of resolving conflicts, and to create techniques for evaluating ideas and arguments.? Philosophy is both a group of activities and a body of knowledge, and our department teaches from original texts in ways that enable students to acquire the relevant skills so that they can think for themselves.