Because Georgetown is a Catholic university, Georgetown students should learn to think in depth about the problems posed by a life of faith. This objective is furthered by the study of Philosophy, because it is a systematic study of ideas and issues, a reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths, a quest for a comprehensive understanding of the world, a study of principles of conduct, and much more. Every domain of human experience raises questions to which its techniques and theories apply, and its methods may be used in the study of any subject or the pursuit of any vocation. Our goal is to equip majors and minors not just with skills for a trade or profession, but with important skills for living with themselves from day to day.

Toward this end, the shorter-term objectives of our program are threefold: to endow the student with philosophical skills, philosophical literacy, and the opportunity to do original philosophical research. The first of these objectives is based on the fact that Philosophy is a discipline requiring skills in reasoning and writing. Our goal is to help students to develop the abilities to:

• Read texts closely
• Analyze positions critically
• Uncover tacit presuppositions
• Construct cogent arguments
• Explain and argue in clear persuasive writing