Philosophy is concerned with large, difficult questions, many debated since ancient times, about what is and what must be and what ought to be. It addresses these questions through reasoned argument and the evidence of experience, without asking anyone to take anything on authority or on faith.

Princeton's department, which has consistently been ranked one of the top few in the country, offers a diverse selection of courses from different branches of philosophy each semester, making it possible for the student to acquire both a grounding in the classics and an introduction to ongoing research. Special options in interdisciplinary areas add flexibility.

A few of our students go on to graduate school; most go either to law school or directly to work in the private or public sector. Skills acquired by concentrating in philosophy—learning to think in an organized way about confusing and controversial questions, to treat one’s beliefs as serviceable as they are but capable of improvement; to react to criticism not with outrage but with a willingness to state the grounds for one's views and to listen to and learn from the views of others—are useful not only in a variety of careers, but in life.