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We are a lively community of philosophers with a broad range of scholarly interests.

We offer rigorous, competitive programs in traditional core areas of philosophy, as well as opportunities to explore sometimes-neglected subfields like feminist philosophy or aesthetics.

Our traditional strengths in logic and the philosophy of science remain central to the department, and they are now complemented by very strong programs in action theory, ethics and political philosophy, language, mind and epistemology, and the history of philosophy — especially ancient philosophy and Kant studies.

History of the Department         See Faculty Research Areas

Galileo statue

Engage Philosophy

Philosophy should be engaged and applied, addressing questions as they arise in the real world and within the practices of other disciplines. That tradition in Stanford Philosophy is reflected in our collaboration with a wide range of interdisciplinary programs.  Follow the links below to learn more. 

Undergraduate program overview

Graduate program overview

Upcoming Events

April
30
Date
Wed April 30th 2025, 12:00pm - 1:15pm
Location
Gates Computer Science Building
353 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305
119
May
2
Date
Fri May 2nd 2025, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location
Building 110
450 Jane Stanford Way Building 110, Stanford, CA 94305
112
May
2
Date
Fri May 2nd 2025, 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Location
Bechtel International Center
584 Capistrano Way, Stanford, CA 94305
1st floor, Encina Hall

News

The Stanford Philosophy Department mourns the passing of our colleague, the prominent philosopher Michael L. Friedman, who died at Stanford Hospital on March 24, 2025 after a long illness. He was 77. Friedman was the Suppes Professor of Philosophy of Science at Stanford until his retirement in 2024.
Stanford professor Leif Wenar ’87 has dedicated his career to answering some of the most complex questions in philosophy. Read the article from Stanford Daily reporter, Helen Katz.
The Stanford Philosophy Department mourns the passing of our colleague Graciela de Pierris, who died at Stanford Hospital on August 20, 2024. She was 74.