Founded in 1894, the Department of Philosophy is one of the oldest philosophy programs in the country. Like MAPH itself, Philosophy at the University of Chicago is distinguished by its encouragement of research across traditional disciplinary divides. MAPH students concentrating in Philosophy often pursue coursework in other subject areas such as Classics, Comparative Literature, English Language and Literature, Gender and Sexuality, Human Rights, Linguistics, and Social Thought.
Selected Faculty
Sample Courses
MAPH Core Course: Contemporary Analytic Philosophy (PHIL 31414) Autumn 2026
This course is designed to provide MAPH students – especially those interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy – with an introduction to some recent debates between philosophers working in the analytic tradition. The course is, however, neither a history of analytic philosophy nor an overview of the discipline as it currently stands. The point of the course is primarily to introduce the distinctive style and method – or styles and methods – of philosophizing in the analytic tradition, through brief explorations of some currently hotly debated topics in the field. (Benjamin Callard)
Philosophy of the City: Community, Conflict and Justice (PHIL 37382) Winter 2027
In this course we examine questions such as: What is a city? What (if anything) is distinctively good about city life? Cities have been criticized for being dirty, polluted, overcrowded, ugly, lacking in opportunities to connect with nature, chaotic, alienating, and dangerous—to the extent that these criticisms are accurate, can they be addressed without abandoning urban life altogether? And what are the makings of a just city, if such a thing is possible? To tackle these problems we will read authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes, Rousseau, Emerson, Dickens, Marx and Fanon, among others. (Tyler Zimmer)
Early Modern Metaphysics (PHIL 47205) Winter 2027
In this seminar we will read, write, and think about central metaphysical concepts – concepts such as substance, essence, quantity, identity, part and whole, causation, and infinity – as they develop in the early modern period. Figures we are likely to read include Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Malebranche, and Leibniz. We will occasionally look to the medieval tradition to which these thinkers are indebted, and against which they are reacting, as well as to recent scholarship on the period. (Andrew Pitel)
Ethics of Body Modification: Autonomy, Personhood, and the Self (PHIL 51106) Spring 2027
Body modification is a way to control what is most intimately ours—our bodies. At its best, it empowers us make choices about our own bodies, turning them into tattooed canvases, finely-honed athletic machines, or just safer and more pleasant places to live. At its worst, it is a tool that others can use to coerce us: controlling our ability to reproduce, forcing our bodies into uncomfortable shapes because society deems them “normal”, or pressuring us toward the costly and ultimately futile pursuit of beauty, youth, and thinness. This course explores the ethics of body modification, considering examples from tattooing to plastic surgery to athletic training to psychoactive drugs. (Ray Briggs)
For a more complete list of courses and descriptions, visit the Philosophy course page.
Philosophy Specialization
The Philosophy Specialization allows students to structure their coursework and thesis around the study of philosophy within MAPH. Students who complete the following requirements will receive a Philosophy transcript notation:
- MAPH Core Course (Foundations of Interpretive Theory)
- MAPH Philosophy Core Course (Contemporary Analytic Philosophy)
- Three other graduate-level courses in Philosophy (offered or cross-listed by the Philosophy Department). Students who do not choose to write a master’s thesis must produce a substantial term paper for at least one of these courses
Please direct any questions you may have about specializing in Philosophy to maph-support@uchicago.edu.
Recent Philosophy Thesis Projects
"Claiming the Unclaimable: The Moral Architecture of the Human Right to Healthcare"
Ainsley Ahmadian, MAPH '26
Advisor: Ben Laurence
"Truth, Meaning, and Judgment in the Age of Generative AI: Heidegger and Wittgenstein Compared"
Yuge Wei, MAPH '26
Advisor: Kevin Davey
"The Lofty Philosopher and the Socratic Philosopher in Plato’s “Theaetetus”"
Jiakai Zhang, MAPH TLO '22
Advisor: John Proios