"In unphilosophical minds any rare or
unexpected thing excites wonder
while in philosophical minds the
familiar excites wonder also."
— George Santayana

"To know one religion is to know
none."
— Max Müller

"It is the mark of an educated
mind to be able to entertain a
thought without accepting it."
— Aristotle

The Department’s Mission

The NC State Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies is committed to:

• offering a high-quality undergraduate Philosophy curriculum, including a major and minor in Philosophy, that gives students an opportunity to confront through historical and contemporary resources a wide range of central philosophical issues, such as the relationship between the mind and brain, the ethical implications of scientific advances, the justification of moral, political, and legal institutions, the relationship between human knowledge and reality, and the nature of the logic that structures human language and thought;

• offering a high-quality undergraduate Religious Studies curriculum, including a major and a minor in Religious Studies, that provides students an extended opportunity to examine the multiple interpretations of the category “religion” – including religion as a social construction, as an element of psychological development, as a branch of metaphysics, and as a constellation of ritual practices – and the ways in which religious traditions have played a central role in human culture and history;

• developing the analytical abilities and expressive powers of our students;

• providing and expanding educational and research opportunities at the graduate level; and

• conducting research, teaching and scholarship that further knowledge and understanding in the disciplines of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Site updated January 22, 2010.