{"id":464,"date":"2017-08-07T15:10:18","date_gmt":"2017-08-07T15:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2026-03-02T14:55:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T19:55:29","slug":"sample-page","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"prpl-homepage-hero mlt-background-cover\"><div class=\"image-wrapper\" style=\"background-image: url(/philosophy/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/464/responsive-media/cache/philosophy/wp-content/uploads/sites/161/2019/04/082311_8934_Promenade-4K.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg);\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-background\" data-original-image=\"\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2019\/04\/082311_8934_Promenade-4K.jpg\" src=\"/philosophy/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/464/responsive-media/cache/philosophy/wp-content/uploads/sites/161/2019/04/082311_8934_Promenade-4K.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\"\/><h1 id=\"content-start\">Philosophy<\/h1><\/div><div class=\"hero-footer\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column\"><span class=\"prpl-button full-width ghost-white\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/academics\/programs\/ba-philosophy\/\"><span class=\"a11y-label\">The <\/span>Philosophy Major<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><span class=\"prpl-button full-width ghost-white\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/events\/philosophy-for-lunch\/\">Philosophy for Lunch<span class=\"a11y-label\"> More About P4L<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><span class=\"prpl-button full-width ghost-white\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/courses\/\">Fall 2026 Courses<span class=\"a11y-label\"> More About P4L<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><span class=\"prpl-button full-width ghost-white\"><a href=\"\/philosophy\/faculty-and-staff\/\">Faculty and Staff<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><span class=\"prpl-button full-width ghost-white\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/careers\/\">Careers for Philosophy Graduates<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><span class=\"prpl-button full-width ghost-white\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/philosophy-ba-mba\/?\">Business and Philosophy<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"prpl-band lt-gray no-margin\"><div class=\"text-content\"><br \/>\n<div class=\"prpl-row\"><div class=\"prpl-column one-half\">\n<p><strong>Contact the Philosophy department in the following ways<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\u2022 Philosophy Chair, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/profilepages\/view_profile.php?username=roholtt\">Tiger Roholt<\/a>, <a href=\"mailto:roholtt@montclair.edu\">roholtt@montclair.edu<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 Find faculty contact information on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/faculty-and-staff\/\">faculty page<\/a>.<br \/>\n<\/p><\/div><div class=\"prpl-column one-half\"><strong>Follow Us<\/strong>\n<div class=\"prpl-icon-bar\"> <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/montclairphilos\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2018\/09\/instagram-smaller.svg\" alt=\"Instagram Logo\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band it-grey image-left\"><div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2021\/04\/033021_6378_CHSS-Philosophy-Trevor-Mackenzie-scaled.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2021\/04\/033021_6378_CHSS-Philosophy-Trevor-Mackenzie-scaled.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\"\/><\/div><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>What Is Philosophy?<\/h2>\n<p>Philosophy is the rational inquiry into our most basic beliefs and values. Socrates famously said, &#8220;The unexamined life is not worth living.&#8221; This examination involves seeking answers to questions such as:\u00a0<em>How should I live? \u2022 What is truth? \u2022\u00a0How is the mind related to the body? \u2022 Do we have free will? \u2022 What is justice? \u2022 How should we make ethical judgments when there seems to be no clear right or wrong answer? \u00a0\u2022 Are we more likely to know what is real through reason or through the senses? \u2022 How am I related to the world and to others? \u2022 What is the value of art? \u2022 How does technology mediate our engagement with the world and with others?\u00a0<\/em>A philosopher&#8217;s examination into these and other issues is grounded on evidence, reasoning, and argument.\u00a0If you are a curious person who enjoys intellectual challenges,\u00a0then you may find a philosophy classroom invigorating.<\/p>\n<p>(Trevor McKenzie, pictured, completed our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/philosophy-ba-mba\/\">Philosophy BA\/MBA program<\/a>, which begins in our Philosophy department and ends in the Feliciano School of Business. Trevor is now a Financial Systems Analyst &amp; Automations Engineer.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band lt-gray no-margin\"><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>News and Events<\/h2>\n<p><ul class='news-feed horizontal'><li class='news-item'><div class='image-holder'><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-background\"  data-original-image=\"\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2022\/09\/P4L7.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2022\/09\/P4L7.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><span class='headline'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/2026\/02\/16\/philosophy-for-lunch-every-wednesday-2pm\/\">Philosophy for Lunch \u2014\u00a0Every Wednesday, 2PM!<\/a><\/span><span class='posted'>Monday February 16, 2026<\/span><\/li><li class='news-item'><div class='image-holder'><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-background\"  data-original-image=\"\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2025\/09\/PSYC-PHIL-Double-Major-Roadmap.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2025\/09\/PSYC-PHIL-Double-Major-Roadmap.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><span class='headline'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/2025\/09\/24\/new-psychology-philosophy-double-major\/\">New Psychology-Philosophy Double Major<\/a><\/span><span class='posted'>Wednesday September 24, 2025<\/span><\/li><li class='news-item'><div class='image-holder'><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-background\"  data-original-image=\"\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2020\/12\/phonto.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2020\/12\/phonto.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><span class='headline'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/2024\/08\/30\/the-practical-value-of-studying-philosophy\/\">The Practical Value of Studying Philosophy<\/a><\/span><span class='posted'>Friday August 30, 2024<\/span><\/li><li class='news-item'><div class='image-holder'><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-background\"  data-original-image=\"\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2018\/08\/typing_4.jpg.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2018\/08\/typing_4.jpg.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of hands typing\" \/><\/div><span class='headline'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/2024\/08\/27\/facultyresearch\/\">Recent Research by Montclair Philosophy Faculty<\/a><\/span><span class='posted'>Tuesday August 27, 2024<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><div class=\"prpl-band red image-right\"><div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2019\/07\/vargas.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2019\/07\/vargas.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\"\/><\/div><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>The Practical Value of Studying Philosophy<\/h2>\n<p>By studying philosophy, students develop powerful, <em>cognitive\u00a0<\/em>transferrable skills that pay off in a variety of professions\u2014transferable skills such as Logical Reasoning \u2022 Analysis \u2022 Abstract Conceptualization \u2022 Problem-Solving \u2022 Creative Thinking \u2022 Clear and Persuasive Writing \u2022 Mental Dexterity \u2022 An Ability to Assess Different Perspectives and Frameworks \u2022 Information Management.\u00a0For more info see our <a href=\"\/philosophy\/careers\/\">Careers<\/a>\u00a0page.<\/p>\n<p>2018 earnings data show that\u00a0the national median salary of Philosophy graduates is now higher than nearly every other major in the social sciences, humanities, and higher than many other majors in the university\u2014higher than Psychology, Criminology, Communication,\u00a0Special Education,\u00a0Early Childhood Education, Business Management, Political Science, History, English, and so on. (For one data source, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.payscale.com\/college-salary-report\/majors-that-pay-you-back\/bachelors?search=philosophy\">Payscale.com.<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Which <em>professions<\/em> do philosophy graduates pursue? Technology \u2022 Business \u2022 Law \u2022 Publishing \u2022 Government \u2022 Advertising \u2022 Journalism \u2022 Teaching \u2022 Sales \u2022 Human Resources \u2022 Public Relations \u2022 Activism \u2022 Public Policy, etc., etc.<\/p>\n<p>The philosophy major is also exceptional training for many <em>post-graduate<\/em> paths, such as law school.\u00a0Philosophy majors perform extremely well on a variety of entrance tests for post-graduate and professional study. See &#8220;Graduate Study<a href=\"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/careers\/\"><\/a>&#8221; at the bottom of the\u00a0<a href=\"\/philosophy\/careers\/\">Careers<\/a>\u00a0page.<\/p>\n<p>(Amanda Vargas, pictured, is a Montclair Philosophy graduate; she is a healthy-food restauranteur, Founder and CEO of Fettle + Fare, and a TEDx speaker.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band scalable no-margin\"><div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Video: MSU Philosophy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/882LOdHPRc4?feature=oembed\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"width: 500px; height: 375px; border: 0px solid #000;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band scalable no-margin\"><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>Philosophy Club<\/h2>\n<p>The Philosophy Club\u2014run by philosophy majors\u2014is a place of passion and curiosity, where students are welcome to explore a variety of topics in a fun, relaxed, and collaborative way. Come by and get a feel for our community. It will leave you with a new perspective on life. <strong>The club meets every Thursday, at 1:30PM, Schmitt Hall, Room 242<\/strong>.The club has recently discussed topics such as love, authenticity, Reddit, money, the Marvel universe, the self, art, knowledge, truth, and the question\u2014&#8221;What is a sandwich?&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band no-margin\"><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>Philosophy for Lunch<\/h2>\n<p>Philosophy for Lunch is a weekly event where students, professors, and other philosophy enthusiasts close-read and discuss a few great passages of philosophy.\u00a0Everyone is welcome!\u00a0No preparation or previous knowledge of philosophy is needed. Recent sessions have focused on free speech, the gun debate, Aristotle on friendship, thought experiments,\u00a0Foucault\u2019s Panopticon, and so on.<\/p>\n<p><em>When?<\/em> 12:00\u20131:00PM, Thursdays \u2022\u00a0<em>Where?<\/em> Cohen Lounge in Dickson Hall (Room 178)<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"prpl-button ghost-white\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/philosophy-for-lunch\/\"><span class=\"a11y-label\">Philosophy for Lunch <\/span>More about P4L<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band it-grey image-left\"><div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2018\/09\/Gamba.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/philosophy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/161\/2018\/09\/Gamba.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Madison Gamba, Philosophy Major\"\/><\/div><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>The Philosophy Major and Minor<\/h2>\n<p>Our philosophy Major and Minor are flexible programs that enable students to take advantage of the interesting, shifting <a href=\"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/courses\/\">selection of courses<\/a> we offer every semester. The philosophy major is 12 courses. The philosophy minor is 6 courses. Almost all of the courses students take in these programs are taught by full-time professors. One of the benefits of the size of our small department is that students get to know their professors as well as their fellow majors and minors. Almost all of our 200-level and 300-level philosophy courses are small seminars, with an average of 15\u201319 students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"prpl-button-row\"> <span class=\"prpl-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/academics\/programs\/ba-philosophy\/\">The Philosophy Major<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"prpl-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/academics\/programs\/ba-philosophy\/\">The Philosophy Minor<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n<p>(Madison Gamba, pictured, is a Montclair Philosophy graduate; she recently earned an M.A. in Philosophy at the New School for Social Research, NYC.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band scalable no-margin\"><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>Our Philosophy Faculty<\/h2>\n<p>The philosophy faculty are dedicated teachers and productive scholars with expertise in many areas of philosophy, such as the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mind, feminist philosophy, phenomenology, political philosophy, philosophy of technology, philosophy of art, and the history of philosophy. We take an active interest in our students\u2019 academic careers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/2020\/06\/07\/facultyresearch\/\">See Recent Research by Montclair Philosophy Faculty<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"prpl-button\"><a href=\"\/philosophy\/faculty-and-staff\/\">Faculty and Staff<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band scalable no-margin\"><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>Our Philosophy Courses<\/h2>\n<p>Every semester we offer an interesting selection of courses. In recent semesters we have offered courses such as Philosophy of Technology; Social and Political Philosophy; Philosophy of Biology; Theories of Action; Philosophy in Science Fiction; Philosophy of Mind; Philosophy of Race; Philosophy of Happiness; and Knowledge, Belief, and Truth. See the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/courses\/\">list of recent course offerings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"prpl-band red no-margin\"><div class=\"text-content\">\n<h2>Donate to Montclair Philosophy<\/h2>\n<p>The Philosophy Department is committed to supporting students and providing quality lectures and events for both the campus and community, such as <em>Philosophy for Lunch<\/em> and <em>Philosophy Talks<\/em>. Your gift to the Philosophy Department will help support events and scholarships sponsored by the department.<\/p>\n<p>To give online, check \u201cother\u201d as the designation and specify \u201cPhilosophy Department.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"prpl-button ghost-white\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montclairconnect.org\/make-a-gift\">Make a Gift<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":845,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"advanced-page.php","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-464","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=464"}],"version-history":[{"count":169,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2739,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/464\/revisions\/2739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/philosophy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}