What is Philosophy?

One of the best ways to get a sense of all that the field of philosophy encompasses is to focus on examples of particular philosophical questions. This document provides examples of questions associated with key philosophy subfields.

Philosophy Resources

Jump to the resources below:

The Value of Studying Philosophy
Helpful websites related to the value of studying philosophy
Articles in popular publications
Philosophy programs at public colleges and universities in Colorado
Online research resources for students
Writing philosophy papers
Fun stuff
Resources related to Religious Studies

The value of studying philosophy

Bertrand Russell's "The Value of Philosophy" (from Problems of Philosophy)

Helpful websites related to the value of studying philosophy

• A detailed set of links related to the value of studying philosophy on the American Philosophical Association website
• A detailed, helpful booklet from the University of Guelph on what makes philosophy majors highly employable
• Information from Western Washington University on the relationship between philosophy, critical thinking skills, and performance on key standardized tests
• The University of Northern Colorado’s case for studying philosophy
• Illuminating information about how philosophy majors perform on the GRE

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Articles in popular publications

• “Surprise: Humanities Degrees Provide Great Return on Investment,” by Jeffrey Dorfman (Forbes, 11/20/2014)
• “The Unexpected Way Philosophy Majors Are Changing The World Of Business,” by Carol Gregoire (Huffington Post, 3/5/14)
• “Be Employable Study Philosophy,” by Shannon Rupp (Salon, 7/1/2013)
• “Why Future Business Leaders Need Philosophy,” by Anders Berg Poulsen (Grasp Magazine, 5/30/2013)
• “Is Philosophy the Most Practical Major?” by Edward Tenner (The Atlantic, 10/16/2011)
• “In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined,” by Winnie Hu (New York Times, 4/6/2008)
• “I think, therefore I Earn,” by Jessica Shepherd (The Guardian, 11/20/2007)

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Philosophy programs at public colleges and universities in Colorado

• Philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder
• Philosophy at the University of Northern Colorado
• Philosophy at University of Colorado, Denver
• Philosophy at Colorado State University (in Fort Collins)
• Philosophy at Metropolitan State University of Denver
• Philosophy at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
• Philosophy at Colorado State University, Pueblo
• Philosophy at Fort Lewis College
• Philosophy at Western State Colorado University

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Online research resources for students

• The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• The Meta-Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Squashed Philosophers (abridged versions of many major philosophical texts)
• PhilPapers (an excellent source of recent work in philosophy; includes an index, bibliography, and open access archive)
• Open Access Philosophy (“Wi-Phi's mission is to introduce people to the practice of philosophy by making videos that are freely available in a form that is entertaining, interesting and accessible to people with no background in the subject.”)
• Ethics, Etc. (“A forum for discussing contemporary philosophical issues in ethics and related areas”)

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Writing philosophy papers

• Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers

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Fun stuff

• Ask Philosophers: A site where members of the general public submit questions and receive answers from professional philosophers
• Philosophy Bites: “Podcasts of top philosophers interviewed on bite-sized topics”
• History of Philosophy without any Gaps: A website offering an extensive library of podcasts focused of the history of philosophy
• Philosophical T.E.D. Talks
• IntelligenceSquared: A site containing fascinating debates, many of which focus on philosophical topics
• Philosophy Now: A philosophy magazine for members of the general public interested in philosophy
• Daily Nous: A major philosophy blog
• A long list of Philosophical Blogs (with an emphasis on analytic philosophy)

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Resources related to Religious Studies

• American Academy of Religion
• Center for the Study of World Religions (at Harvard Divinity School)
• The NPR program “On Being”
• The Pew Forum for Religion and Public Life
• A BBC Archive on Religious Studies
• An extensive set of links organized by the Department of Religious Studies at Kenyon College
• An extensive set of links organized by the Department of Religious Studies at The University of California, Santa Barbara

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