Philosophy is the study of fundamental questions. Why is there something rather than nothing? Is there a god? What is a good life? What is the right thing to do? What, if anything, is the source of moral obligation? What is justice? Do we act freely? How is the mind related to the natural world? How is language related to reality? Is there an external world? What does it take to know something, rather than merely believe it? You have probably asked yourself some of these questions at one time or another. They do not belong to a specialized science or domain of inquiry; nevertheless as reflective human beings we cannot help but confront them. These are the questions we end up asking ourselves if we keep asking, “Why?”

Undergraduate concentrators have a variety of ways to participate in and contribute to the life of the department, whether through work on the Harvard Review of Philosophy, peer advising, or by attending any of the department's many lectures or social events. In addition, concentrators are encouraged to submit their written work in consideration for the department's annual prizes.