The Department of Philosophy at Harvard University is a

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

department in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States that is associated with the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Housed at Emerson Hall, the department offers

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

, master's and doctorate degrees in philosophy. Both undergraduate and graduate students can complete programs with other Harvard departments. Students publish and edit '' The Harvard Review of Philosophy'', an annual peer-reviewed journal on philosophy. The department consistently ranks among the top ten philosophical faculties in the United States and the world and specializes in a wide range of philosophical topics, including

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...

and political philosophy, aesthetics, metaphysics, analytical philosophy,

history of philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, epistemology, philosophy of science and philosophy of language,

mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

, and logic. Historically, philosophy at Harvard has transitioned from conservative religious traditions to more liberal and progressive schools of thought. Harvard initially trained Puritan clergymen in logic, ethics, and theology. During the early 19th century, Harvard was associated with the development of unitarianism and, correspondingly, the philosophy of transcendentalism and produced thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Harvard's philosophy department was an important source of pragmatism of philosophers such as William James, C. I. Lewis and George Santayana and American idealism of Josiah Royce.

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in ...

and

Alain LeRoy Locke Alain LeRoy Locke (September 13, 1885 – June 9, 1954) was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Distinguished in 1907 as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, Locke became known as the philosophical architect ...

followed the tradition of pragmatism and applied philosophy to

African-American experience African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

s and culture. Later in the 20th century, philosophy at Harvard saw significant contributions in political philosophy, especially with John Rawls and

Robert Nozick Robert Nozick (; November 16, 1938 – January 23, 2002) was an American philosopher. He held the Joseph Pellegrino University Professorship at Harvard University,

. More recently, Harvard philosophy professors such as Willard Van Orman Quine and

Hilary Putnam Hilary Whitehall Putnam (; July 31, 1926 – March 13, 2016) was an American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist, and a major figure in analytic philosophy in the second half of the 20th century. He made significant contributions ...

have made notable advances in

analytic philosophy Analytic philosophy is a branch and tradition of philosophy using analysis, popular in the Western world and particularly the Anglosphere, which began around the turn of the 20th century in the contemporary era in the United Kingdom, United Sta ...

History

17th and 18th centuries

Philosophy teaching at Harvard College in its early years aligned with the theological worldview of Puritanism, as faculty were Puritans and the college trained students become Puritan ministers. Early curriculum focused on classical education with philosophical subjects, including logic, ethics, metaphysics, and theology. Harvard's course of study was modeled after those of Cambridge University and Oxford University, which included strands of

mental Mental may refer to: * of or relating to the mind Films * ''Mental'' (2012 film), an Australian comedy-drama * ''Mental'' (2016 film), a Bangladeshi romantic-action movie * ''Mental'', a 2008 documentary by Kazuhiro Soda * ''Mental'', a 2014 O ...

, and natural philosophy. A Westerly View of the Colledges in Cambridge New England by Paul Revere

Philosophical discourse at Harvard and other New England colleges in the 17th and 18th century centered around religious issues of Puritanism. New England Puritan thought relied heavily on dogma, but attempted to systematically develop a coherent worldview, as well as philosophically grapple with the tensions between the elements of arbitrary and emotional "

piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...

" and rational "

intellect In the study of the human mind, intellect refers to, describes, and identifies the ability of the human mind to reach correct conclusions about what is true and what is false in reality; and how to solve problems. Derived from the Ancient Gree ...

." Pupils read works on rhetoric, logic, and philosophy by William Ames, Franco Burgersdijk, Petrus Ramus,

Bartholomäus Keckermann Bartholomäus Keckermann (c. 1572 – 25 August (or July) 1609) was a German writer, Calvinist theologian and philosopher. He is known for his ''Analytic Method''. As a writer on rhetoric, he is compared to Gerhard Johann Vossius, and consider ...

, and other religious thinkers. During the

Great Awakening Great Awakening refers to a number of periods of religious revival in American Christian history. Historians and theologians identify three, or sometimes four, waves of increased religious enthusiasm between the early 18th century and the late ...

s, moral philosophy at Harvard addressed issues with the development of religious revival movements. According to Norman Fiering, moral philosophical debates at Harvard served as precursors to the parallel discussions during the Great Awakening between

Old Lights The terms Old Lights and New Lights (among others) are used in Protestant Christian circles to distinguish between two groups who were initially the same, but have come to a disagreement. These terms originated in the early 18th century from a spl ...

such as Harvard president Charles Chauncy and

New Lights The terms Old Lights and New Lights (among others) are used in Protestant Christian circles to distinguish between two groups who were initially the same, but have come to a disagreement. These terms originated in the early 18th century from a spl ...

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician ** ''Jonathan Edwards'' (album), debut album ...

, in which Harvard adopted both views of intellectualism and voluntarism. Charles Chauncy would oppose sensational experiences of religion that were spread during the Great Awakening and developed a more rationalistic religious movement departing from Puritan orthodoxy. During the later 18th century, Harvard began to adopt a latitudinarianism and a more liberal, tolerant, rational, and practical form of Christianity. In 1789, Harvard established the Professorship of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity that would attempt to show the coherence of the "doctrines of Revelation" and the "dictates of Reason."

19th century

In the 19th century, unitarianism originated in the United States at Harvard after the college appointed the first unitarian professor of divinity in 1805. Following this appointment, the school became dominated by a unitarian moral philosophy that rejected Christ's divinity and departed from the orthodox theology of Puritans in earlier centuries. Transcendentalism followed the developments of unitarianism, emphasizing free conscience and the value of intellectual reason. Notable transcendentalist philosophers, who graduated from Harvard, included Ralph Waldo Emerson and

. In the early decades of the 19th century, Harvard College offered philosophy courses in the areas of 1. intellectual philosophy 2. moral and political philosophy 3. religion and natural theology 4. logic and 5. natural philosophy. Core texts that were part of the curriculum included works by English and Scottish philosophers and theologians, including

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...

, Thomas Brown, William Paley,

William Enfield William Enfield (29 March 1741 – 3 November 1797) was a British Unitarian minister who published a bestselling book on elocution entitled ''The Speaker'' (1774). Life Enfield was born in Sudbury, Suffolk to William and Ann Enfield. In 1758, h ...

, Dugald Stewart, William Smellie, Joseph Butler, among others. The philosophy curriculum at Harvard during this time was dominated by Scottish common sense realism and the

empiricism In philosophy, empiricism is an epistemological theory that holds that knowledge or justification comes only or primarily from sensory experience. It is one of several views within epistemology, along with rationalism and skepticism. Empir ...

of John Locke. At the same time, the college attempted to maintain philosophical and religious orthodoxy and likewise required professors to declare allegiance to the Protestant

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

Christian faith. William James b1842c

During the second half of the 19th century, Harvard philosophy became a significant center for the development of the American philosophy of pragmatism and American idealism with influential Harvard philosophers such as William James,

Alfred North Whitehead Alfred North Whitehead (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947) was an English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known as the defining figure of the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which today has found applicat ...

, Josiah Royce and later C. I. Lewis. William James, considered the founder of philosophical thought of pragmatism, radical empiricism, and functional psychology, was influential in the foundation of Harvard's Psychology Department, which was initially closely tied with the Philosophy Department. Josiah Royce, considered the father of American idealism, opposed the pragmatism of William James and was a staunch advocate of

absolute idealism Absolute idealism is an ontologically monistic philosophy chiefly associated with G. W. F. Hegel and Friedrich Schelling, both of whom were German idealist philosophers in the 19th century. The label has also been attached to others such as Josi ...

but would later reformulate his metaphysics as "absolute pragmatism."

studied at Harvard College from 1888 to 1890, where he was strongly influenced by Professor William James and would later make significant developments in the connection of philosophy and race. Charles Sanders Peirce, a close friend of William James and key philosopher of pragmatism, studied natural history and

at Harvard but was multiple times denied a professorship at the university due to undistinguished grades and disapproval by Harvard President Charles William Eliot. Harvard established a Graduate Department, modeled after the German university system, in 1872, which offered degrees in Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. Philosophy was one of the first three subjects (besides mathematics and history) offered as a Ph.D. by the Graduate Department. In 1895, the Philosophy Department wrote Harvard Corporation that it had allowed Mary Whiton Calkins to complete all the requirements for the Ph.D. and noted that her "scholarly intelligence was exceptionally high, when compared with that of nearly all other candidates hitherto examined," but Harvard refused to grant her the degree, since she was a woman.

20th century to the present

Emerson Hall, which still houses the Philosophy Department, was built in 1905 and named after alumnus Ralph Waldo Emerson. On the official opening, the American Philosophical and American Psychological Associations held meetings at the hall with addresses by President Charles Eliot and Edward Waldo Emerson, Ralph Waldo Emerson's son.

completed a bachelor's in philosophy and literature at Harvard College in 1907. He is noted for his contributions to philosophical pragmatism and was central to the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

. One of William James's most notable students was George Santayana. Both were naturalists, but they differed in their interpretation of religion. James viewed it as part of individual experiences that were attainable within a supernatural realm but not accessible through science, while Santayana emphasized the mind's creative imagination and held a version of

metaphysical naturalism Metaphysical naturalism (also called ontological naturalism, philosophical naturalism and antisupernaturalism) is a philosophical worldview which holds that there is nothing but natural elements, principles, and relations of the kind studied by ...

that was influenced by evolutionary

Darwinism Darwinism is a scientific theory, theory of Biology, biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of smal ...

and maintained that nothing supernatural exists.

Academics

Undergraduate studies

Philosophy undergraduate students can concentrate in philosophy and receive an

A. B. Degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

. Undergraduates may also complete degrees through the Mind Brain Behavior Interfaculty Initiative (MBB). The department offers joint-degree programs with the departments of Classics, Government, History, Mathematics, and Religion. The undergraduate study consists of standard courses on: * Logic * Contemporary metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science &

. * Philosophy of language, ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics. * History of ancient, medieval, or modern pre-20th-century philosophy.

Graduate studies

The graduate program is mainly for Ph.D. recipients, as students can only complete A. M. degrees in pursuit of a Ph.D. Graduate students are required to take courses in: * contemporary theoretical philosophy * practical philosophy * history of philosophy The department offers courses in ancient Greek and Roman, medieval philosophy, early modern European philosophy, and other world philosophical traditions within these critical areas. Ph.D. programs include standard philosophy, classical philosophy in conjunction with the Harvard Department of Classics, Indian philosophy with the Harvard Department of South Asian Studies, and philosophy and law with the

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

Research and publications

The Philosophy Department is associated with The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics which fosters research and teaching on ethical issues. Harvard University and MIT hold the annual Harvard-MIT Graduate Philosophy Conference to discuss various topics on philosophy, which alternates locations between the two institutions. The peer-reviewed journal '' The Harvard Review of Philosophy'' is published and edited by Harvard philosophy students.

Rankings

According to the QS World University Rankings for Philosophy, Harvard University ranked 9th in 2020, 8th in 2021 and 2022, and 7th in 2023. Based on a reputation survey from the Philosophical Gourmet Report, Harvard ranked 7th in 2006, 6th in 2009 and 2014, 5th in 2011, and 9th in 2017 among United States graduate faculties. Among philosophical departments in the English-speaking world, Harvard ranked 9th place in another 2021 Philosophical Gourmet Report. Harvard faculty have criticized the Philosophical Gourmet Report for insufficiently high academic standards and failing to meet "social scientific standards."

Notable people

Alumni

* Ned Block *

* Mary Whiton Calkins * Roderick Chisholm * Donald Davidson *

Daniel Dennett Daniel Clement Dennett III (born March 28, 1942) is an American philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relat ...

* Hubert Dreyfus *

Ronald Dworkin Ronald Myles Dworkin (; December 11, 1931 – February 14, 2013) was an American philosopher, jurist, and scholar of United States constitutional law. At the time of his death, he was Frank Henry Sommer Professor of Law and Philosophy at New Yo ...

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

* Ralph Waldo Emerson * William Frankena * Learned Hand * Charles Hartshorne * Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. * Walter Kaufmann * Saul Kripke * David Lewis *

* Walter Lippmann *

Arthur Oncken Lovejoy Arthur Oncken Lovejoy (October 10, 1873 – December 30, 1962) was an American philosopher and intellectual historian, who founded the discipline known as the history of ideas with his book ''The Great Chain of Being'' (1936), on the topic ...

* George Herbert Mead * Thomas Nagel *

Martha Nussbaum Martha Craven Nussbaum (; born May 6, 1947) is an American philosopher and the current Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she is jointly appointed in the law school and the philosoph ...

* Onora O'Neill *

Faculty

* William Ernest Hocking * William James *

Christine Korsgaard Christine Marion Korsgaard, (; born April 9, 1952) is an American philosopher who is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy Emerita at Harvard University. Her main scholarly interests are in moral philosophy and its history; the relat ...

C.I. Lewis Clarence Irving Lewis (April 12, 1883 – February 3, 1964), usually cited as C. I. Lewis, was an American academic philosopher. He is considered the progenitor of modern modal logic and the founder of conceptual pragmatism. First a noted logici ...

Robert Nozick Robert Nozick (; November 16, 1938 – January 23, 2002) was an American philosopher. He held the Joseph Pellegrino University Professorship at Harvard University,

G. E. L. Owen Gwilym Ellis Lane Owen () was a British classicist and philosopher who is best known as a scholar of ancient philosophy. He was a specialist on the work of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Born to a Wales, Welsh father and an England, English ...

Ralph Barton Perry Ralph Barton Perry (July 3, 1876 in Poultney, Vermont – January 22, 1957 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American philosopher. He was a strident moral idealist who stated in 1909 that, to him, idealism meant "to interpret life consistently ...

* Robert E. Park *

* Willard Van Orman Quine * John Rawls * Josiah Royce * * George Santayana * Amartya Sen *

T. M. Scanlon Thomas Michael "Tim" Scanlon (; born 1940), usually cited as T. M. Scanlon, is an American philosopher. At the time of his retirement in 2016, he was the Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity"The Alford Professo ...

* W. Hugh Woodin Faculty who have been or are affiliated with the department include Danielle Allen, Thomas Kuhn,

Hugo Münsterberg Hugo Münsterberg (; June 1, 1863 – December 16, 1916) was a German-American psychologist. He was one of the pioneers in applied psychology, extending his research and theories to industrial/organizational (I/O), legal, medical, clinical, edu ...

, Michael Sandel, and Cornel West.

Named professorships

* Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity: Levi Frisbie (1817-1822),

Levi Hedge Levi Hedge (April 19, 1766 – January 3, 1844) was an American educator. Biography Levi Hedge was born in Hardwick, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1792. His independent stand against hazing while still a student was instr ...

(1827–1830), James Walker (1838–1853), Francis Bowen (1853–1889), George Herbert Palmer (1889 - 1913), Josiah Royce (1914–1916), William Ernest Hocking (1919–1943), Raphael Demos (1945–1962), Roderick Firth (1962–1987), Thomas M. Scanlon (1984–2016), Selim Berker (2018–present) * Arthur Kingsley Porter Research Professor of Philosophy:

Christine M. Korsgaard Christine Marion Korsgaard, (; born April 9, 1952) is an American philosopher who is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy Emerita at Harvard University. Her main scholarly interests are in moral philosophy and its history; the relat ...

(c. 1991–2020) * Brian D. Young Professor of Philosophy: Richard Moran (c. 1995–present) * Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy: C. I. Lewis (1948–1953), Willard Van Orman Quine (1956–1978),

Burton Dreben Burton Spencer Dreben (September 27, 1927 – July 11, 1999) was an American philosopher specializing in mathematical logic. A Harvard graduate who taught at his alma mater for most of his career (where he retired as Edgar Pierce Professor of ...

(1981–1991), Charles Parsons (1991–2005),

Susanna Siegel Susanna Siegel is an American philosopher. She is the Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University and well known for her work in the philosophy of mind and epistemology, especially on perception. Education and career Siegel receiv ...

(2011–present) * Norman E. Vuilleumier Professor of Philosophy: Edward J. Hall * Samuel H. Wolcott Professor of Philosophy:

Alison Simmons Alison Simmons (born 1965) is an American philosopher and Samuel H. Wolcott Professor of Philosophy and Harvard College Professor at Harvard University. Her primary scholarly interests are in early modern theories of mind (17th-18th century), the ...

(2008–present) * Teresa G. and Ferdinand F. Martignetti Professor of Philosophy: Sean Kelly (2014–present)

References

{{Harvard University, state=collapsed

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

Philosophy departments in the United States