Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy

William James said philosophy is “the habit of always seeing an alternative.” By creating alternatives, philosophy holds out the promise of shaping a better world. This lies at the heart of Goucher College's mission. The college teaches students to reflect on the meaning and significance of their own experiences by posing questions they may not yet have the means to answer. In fact, the work of philosophy is not so much to produce definitive answers as it is to question given answers, to interrogate people's basic assumptions and habits of thought. The Philosophy program at Goucher College cultivates this critical standpoint by emphasizing both the history of philosophy and the practice of philosophizing.

Students develop many transferable skills that can be used in a variety of careers, including analytical and organizational thinking, research, oral and written communication, problem solving, diverse data integration, adaptation to change, persuasion, and digestion of complicated materials.