Philosophy
- Degree Type Bachelor of Arts
- Department Philosophy
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Major Minor
The Department of Philosophy at Washington and Lee University provides a liberal education that engages students with fundamental questions of existence, knowledge and value.
Philosophy
Dedicated faculty ensure that our students receive quality philosophical training in the history of philosophy, in the central subfields of philosophy and in symbolic logic. Faculty prepare students to understand and think critically about complex views, to question their assumptions and to come to informed conclusions. The department is committed to fostering a collaborative environment for student and faculty inquiry, in which faculty pursue scholarship informed by their teaching and in its own right.
With an unusually large number of professors for a college our size, the W&L Department of Philosophy offers a wide array of courses in historical and contemporary philosophy across different traditions and approaches. Examples include ancient Greek and Chinese philosophy, early modern European philosophy, contemporary ethical theory, and courses on AI and human enhancement. A majority of our professors also teach in interdisciplinary programs, demonstrating the relevance and centrality of philosophy to business, the arts and the sciences.
The most important reason to study philosophy is that it explores life’s biggest questions. Is there a God? What is a person? Do humans have free will? What is acting justly? What is a good life? What are my obligations to others, to non-humans and to the environment? What, if anything, can we know about the universe around us?
Studying philosophy teaches students to read and write critically, to analyze concepts and problems carefully, and to express solutions and arguments clearly and forcefully. Thus, studying philosophy prepares students for many different career paths: business, law, medicine, teaching, and postgraduate research in the humanities and sciences.
Students majoring in philosophy very often double major in business, other humanities disciplines or the social and natural sciences.
Philosophy majors are admitted to law school at a higher percentage than any other major and have the third-highest acceptance rate to medical school. Philosophy majors also outperform most other majors on the LSAT, GMAT and GRE, and their midcareer salaries are the highest in the humanities. Midcareer salaries for philosophy majors are even higher than those of accounting, business management and marketing majors.
Opportunities
Outside the classroom at W&L, philosophy majors enjoy a wide array of intellectually stimulating experiences. Students meet world-renowned philosophers who come to campus to give public lectures and lead philosophical discussion over coffee or a meal. Many philosophy majors study abroad in locations such as University College at Oxford, University of Copenhagen, College Year in Athens and University of St. Andrews, to name a few. Each year, W&L sends a team of mostly philosophy students to compete in a statewide collegiate Ethics Bowl hosted by The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC).
Students present philosophy papers at conferences around the country, and many are published in undergraduate philosophy journals. Departmental funding is available to help defray costs. Washington and Lee is home to its own successful annual event, the Mudd Undergraduate Conference in Ethics. This conference, which is supported by the university’s Roger Mudd Center for Ethics, is the only open undergraduate conference in the country solely dedicated to the academic study of ethical issues. All accepted speakers have the opportunity not only to present their papers at the conference, but also to have them published in the The Mudd Journal of Ethics. Leadership opportunities are available to W&L philosophy students for both the conference and the journal.
Philosophy students who meet the criteria may be inducted into Phi Sigma Tau, the International Honor Society in Philosophy. Senior majors who qualify may pursue Honors in Philosophy with a year-long research project culminating in a thesis and defense before the department. Every year the department honors top students with the Edward Dodd Award, Young Scholarship, Charles Thomas Boggs Prize and William Wells Chaffin Memorial Scholarship.
Outcomes
W&L’s tightly knit and supportive alumni network is always willing to assist current students and recent graduates with advice and introductions in the working world.
Our graduates go on to excel in graduate school and work in a variety of professions, including philosophy, law, medicine, business, advertising, engineering, computer science, education, coaching and more.
W&L Student Team Named Runner-Up at VFIC Applied Ethics Bowl
Five students from Washington and Lee University participated in the annual statewide competition in February.
W&L Ethics Bowl Team Qualifies for National Competition
The team secured its place with a third-place finish at the APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl regional competition in Chicago.
This neuroscience major takes advantage of W&L’s beautiful natural surroundings, including walking the back campus trails.
Lawyer and Historian Paul Lombardo to Deliver Lecture on Buck v. Priddy Court Case
The Nov. 18 lecture is open to the public and marks the centenary of the case argued in Amherst County, Virginia.
Bernstein discovered a passion for coding at W&L and has sought out every opportunity to get involved with technology on campus.
Chris Gavaler and Nathaniel Goldberg Publish Paper in the Canadian Journal of Philosophy
The professors co-authored an article that investigates the different ways comics are ordered.
Professors Chris Gavaler and Nat Goldberg to Discuss Their New Book, ‘Revising Reality’
The discussion will be held Wednesday, Oct. 2 in the Harte Center Gallery.
W&L Alumni Receive Omicron Delta Kappa Scholarships
Three Washington and Lee University graduates received scholarships from the National Leadership Honor Society to support graduate and professional study.
A philosophy class Leahy’s first semester led to a passion for thinking about different perspectives and relating to others’ experiences.
W&L Outcomes: Katie Yurechko ’24
After a summer internship with the University of Washington, Yurechko will be pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Oxford.
Chris Gavaler and Nathaniel Goldberg Collaborate to Publish Third Book Together
The W&L professors’ latest publication uses pop culture concepts to untangle real-world histories.
W&L’s Katie Yurechko ’24 Named ODK National Leader of the Year in Academics and Research
Yurechko’s award will support her post-graduate studies as the university’s first Marshall Scholar.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Paul Gregory
Professor of Philosophy, Department Head
Gregory’s teaching and research interests include philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, logic, epistemology, metaphysics, the history of analytic philosophy, and W.V. Quine.
Melina Bell
she/her
Professor of Philosophy and Law
Bell is a part of the faculty in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, and the Law, Justice, and Society Program. She also teaches at the Law School. Professor Bell’s primary research interests are in political philosophy, philosophy of law, and feminist philosophy.
Brandon Conley
he/him
Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy
William Dudley
W&L President and Professor of Philosophy
President Dudley teaches a philosophy seminar each Fall Term, often focusing on topics in higher education. His current course examines the W&L mission statement. He is the author of two books and numerous articles on German Idealism, which is his area of scholarly expertise.
Nathaniel Goldberg
he/him
Professor of Philosophy
Goldberg teaches courses on the history of Western European philosophy, logic, the philosophy of language, and philosophy and science fiction. He has written dozens of articles and five books on epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy and pop culture.
Li Kang
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Kang teaches Introduction to Theories of Knowledge and Reality, and Chinese Buddhist Philosophy. Her research deals with metaphysics, Buddhist philosophy, Chinese philosophy and philosophy of science.
Angela Sun
she/her
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Erin Taylor
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Taylor teaches courses on ancient Greek philosophy, medicine, research, poverty and medical ethics. She has researched normative ethics, political philosophy and bioethics.