Statue of

Welcome to the Philosophy Department!

Philosophy, the pursuit of wisdom, is one of the oldest and most enduring human intellectual enterprises. Philosophy begins in wonder- wonder at the richness, order, and beauty of the world around us, wonder at the grandeur and horror of the acts we perpetrate, and, not least, wonder at the mystery and elusiveness of our own nature. But it does not stop there. Philosophers reflect on all these matters, trying to understand the world and themselves.

Philosophers have generally taken several questions as central:

The Philosophy Department of the University of Texas at Austin carries on that tradition.


Current News

Newcombe Fellowship Awarded to Christopher Raymond

We’re very pleased to congratulate Christopher Raymond, a 4th-year graduate student in the Department, for being selected to receive a Charlotte Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. These highly-coveted and prestigious fellowships are awarded to only about 30 students, nationwide, across all disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Raymond joins Neil Sinhababu and Matt Evans among recent recipients from our graduate program.

Philosophy Alumna Wins Kuwaiti Parliament Seat

In an historic and surprising election, 4 out of 50 seats in the Kuwaiti parliament have been given to women -- UT Austin Philosophy alumna Aseel al-Awadi is among those elected. Aseel graduated from the University in 2006. We congratulate her and her colleagues.

Philosophy Graduate's Debut Novel Reviewed

How to Sell, Clancy Martin's first novel, is being hailed by Jonathan Franzen as "greatly original" and by Zadie Smith as "genuinely fresh." A coming-of-age story, Sell is about buying and selling, lust and love, fraud and authenticity. Martin is currently associate professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri. He received his Ph.D in Philosophy from UT Austin in 2003.

Cogburn Essay Winners Announced

Winners of the Department of Philosophy’s annual Cogburn Essay Prize Competition were announced recently: First place: Malte Willer, “New Dynamics for Epistemic Modality.” Second place: Bryan Pickel, “There is no “is” of Constitution.” Third place: Aidan McGlynn, “Epistemic Alchemy.” The Department celebrated the competition, with our benefactors Mike and Betsy Cogburn, with an awards banquet.

Matchette Undergraduate Essay Contest Winners Selected

We are pleased to announce the 2009 winners of the Matchette essay contest. This year's contest ended in a tie, with two first place winners. Many congratulations to Beau Bouldin for his essay, “Shoring Up Indeterminacy” and Dhananjay Jagannathan for his submission, “Cosmopolitanism in Kant’s Thought." Thanks to all who submitted this year!