Philosophy Department

Philosophy is an important component in a well-rounded education. Philosophy places the most importance on critical thinking skills. 

With the instruction and practice provide by a minor in philosophy, you’ll be better able to: 

• understand and analyze difficult concepts and ideas
• evaluate arguments for validity and soundness
• speak and write persuasively

Philosophers use reason and argument to answer fundamental questions about existence, value, and knowledge. They are most at home with questions about the nature of time and space, about conscious experience and sense-perception, about the acquisition and limits of knowledge and about subjects ranging from art and beauty to character, morality, and justice. 

For example, philosophers grapple with questions like the following:

• Does God exist?
• Do we have free will?
• Can we know anything with certainty?
• Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?
• What is the best way to live?
• Where does morality come from?

If these kinds of general questions interest you, you might enjoy the study and practice of philosophy.

Practically speaking, a minor in Philosophy is also a great way to prepare for graduate or professional school. Undergraduate philosophy majors routinely outperform most other majors on the GRE and LSAT, they outperform all business-related majors on the GMAT and they rank third in their acceptance rate to medical school. 

The analytical and critical skills philosophy students learn also prepare students for careers in a variety of fields. Students can seek careers in anything from business to marketing. 

Philosophy Club

The Winona State Philosophy Club might be for you if: 

• you like talking about political and ethical problems facing our society
• you are interested in classical philosophical issues like free will, the existence of God and the nature of the self
• you enjoyed the kinds of questions and ideas you’ve learned about in your philosophy classes

Some meetings are focused on a specific topic or issue, while others are open to whatever students want to talk about. Our conversations are a fun, free-wheeling, far-ranging exchange of ideas.

Philosophy Club is open to all WSU students with an interest in philosophy. It’s a great way to meet students with similar interests and to get to know some philosophy professors in a relaxed and informal setting.

Meeting times and locations are advertised around campus and through an email list. If you’d like to receive emails about future Philosophy Club meetings and events, contact David Speetzen at dspeetzen@winona.edu to be put on the list.