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.
Maya Lin is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
The architect and artist, who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial when she was 21, will give a lecture on Sept. 17 in Keller Theatre.
What’s Next for Devlin Daugherty ’26
Daugherty will be attending graduate school at James Madison University to study occupational therapy.
Li Kang Selected to Attend Self-Knowledge for Humans and Artificial Systems Summer Institute
The assistant professor of philosophy received a stipend to attend the National Endowment for the Humanities-funded programming at the University of California, Berkeley.
W&L’s Chuck Rutberg ’26 Selected for Teaching Assistant Program in France
Rutberg is looking forward to building on his French language skills before pursuing a career in the federal government.
W&L Alumni and Student Awarded NSF Fellowships
Oriana Gutierrez ’24, Connor Lafo ’26 and Gabrielle Ursin ’25 have received pre-doctoral graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation to support their research.
W&L Ethics Bowl Team Competes at National Competition
The team competed at the APPE National Championship for the first time in school history.
Eric Schwitzgebel to Deliver Robert W. Root ’42 Endowment Lecture at W&L
The philosopher will give a talk on AI and consciousness in Northen Auditorium on March 26.
W&L Student Team Competes at VFIC Applied Ethics Bowl
The W&L Ethics Bowl team recently participated in an annual statewide competition.
‘W&L After Class’ Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Angela Sun
To kick off the seventh season of “W&L After Class,” assistant professor of philosophy Angela Sun reflects on aesthetics from the lens of her field of research.
W&L Ethics Bowl Team Qualifies for National Competition
The team secured its bid with a runner-up showing at the APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl regional competition in Baltimore.
Nathaniel Goldberg Publishes New Book
The professor of philosophy’s book, “Philosophy of the History of Philosophy,” was published in November.
Dominique Lamb ’08 to Deliver Lecture on Housing Equity
The Nov. 13 lecture on W&L’s campus is free and open to the public.
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
- P: 540-458-8182
- E: gregoryp@wlu.edu
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
- P: 540-458-8899
- E: bellm@wlu.edu
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.
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
Associate Professor of Philosophy
- P: 540-458-8304
- E: lkang@wlu.edu
Kang teaches Introduction to Theories of Knowledge and Reality, Buddhist Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, and Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence. Her research deals with metaphysics, Buddhist philosophy, and Chinese philosophy.
Erin Taylor
Associate Professor of Philosophy
- P: 540-458-8051
- E: taylore@wlu.edu
Erin Taylor teaches and writes on normative ethics, medical ethics, research ethics, and AI alignment. Her research asks how people, institutions, and AI systems can determine the right thing to do in particular situations.