Philosophy

Mission

The program in Philosophy enables students to explore critically various systems of beliefs and values, to grapple with the foundations of their own beliefs and values, to develop habits of critical thinking, writing, and reading, and to use these skills to address real world problems.

Description

Philosophy, which comes from two Greek words, "philo" (love) and "sophia" (wisdom), literally translates "the love of wisdom." Philosophies examine and organize various views about the ideology that underlie thought, behavior, and the nature of reality.

The Philosophy Program at California State University Bakersfield offers a major in Philosophy leading to a B.A. Degree and a minor. Students completing a major in Philosophy have the option of pursuing an emphasis in one of the three areas: Ethics & Moral Reasoning; Law, Justice, & Social Policy; and Mind & World.

The student of Philosophy at California State University Bakersfield is offered a broad understanding of the history of Philosophy, and will also develop skills to think consistently and clearly. A wide variety of courses, including Metaphysics, Ethics, Existentialism, Theories of Knowledge, Political Philosophy and various others, are offered to give the CSUB student an extensive background in Philosophy and leave with the ability to succeed.

Philosophy Majors and Minors

Philosophy Majors
Philosophy Minors

Why Study Philosophy

"If I were to start again as an undergraduate, I would major in philosophy,” said Matthew Goldstein, the CUNY chancellor, who majored in mathematics and statistics. “I think that subject is really at the core of just about everything we do. If you study humanities or political systems or sciences in general, philosophy is really the mother ship from which all of these disciplines grow." (New York Times, 4/6/08)

Philosophy deals with the deepest questions that engage all reflective people: What is the good life? What makes for a meaningful life? What is justice? What sort of allegiance should I have to my nation? Is there a moral obligation to obey the law? What are the proper roles of social and political organizations? Why should we be moral? Does obeying the rules of morality help us live better? Do human beings have free will? Is the mind just the brain? Does God exist? What is the difference between knowledge and mere opinion, reality and illusion? Can we distinguish rational from irrational beliefs? What are the limits of human knowledge?

Through the study of philosophy, students engage with classic texts and fundamental ideas. Students learn how to analyze problems, construct systematic arguments, develop their own viewpoints, and communicate their thoughts clearly and effectively. In this way, the study of philosophy is very practical. Because philosophy teaches students how to analyze difficult problems, philosophy majors consistently have among the highest scores on any graduate school exam (LSAT, GMAT, GRE). Students who graduate with a degree in philosophy pursue further study and careers in business, public affairs, law, and many other fields.

Information on the Philosophy Program and Faculty

Fact Sheet

Philosophy Alumni

Russell Ming (Philosophy 2018)

After graduating with a BA in Philosophy from CSUB in 2018, Russell was accepted into the Philosophy MA program at the University of Glasgow in the UK.  After completing his coursework, Russell recently submitted his Masters Thesis on the epistemic issues raised by peer disagreement.  In the meantime, Russell applied to philosophy PhD programs and was accepted at the University of California Irvine, one of the top 20 Philosophy PhD programs in the country, starting in September 2019.  

Dr. John Clevenger (Philosophy 2007)
John is currently a Senior Data Scientist at Netflix where he helps drive product innovation through experimentation and analytics. John earned his PhD in Experimental Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017, where he studied the cognitive and neural processes underlying human object recognition and visual attention. After graduating from CSUB, John earned an MA in Philosophy from CSU Long Beach in 2011. He lives in San Francisco with his wife (and fellow PhD) Pamela.

Neil Richmond (Philosophy 2010)
After earning his JD from Loyola Law School in 2016, Neil joined the professional services and accounting firm Ernst & Young as a Tax Senior specializing in international tax law. Neil also earned an MA in Philosophy from CSU Long Beach in 2013. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife (and fellow CSUB grad) Chantal.

Erin Barker (Philosophy 2016)
After achieving glory with legendary 2015-16 CSUB Ethics Bowl Team, Erin was accepted to study law at the Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon.

Travis Rosenlieb (Philosophy 2016)
After leading the CSUB Ethics Bowl Team to victory at the 2015 California Regional competition, Travis is working on his Master of Arts degree in Philosophy at Arizona State University.

Magda Bogacz (Philosophy 2016)
Magda was accepted into the MA program in Philosophy at the University of Leuven in Belgium.

Jacob Lanier (Philosophy 2016)
A Belgian double! Jacob was also accepted into the MA program in Philosophy at the University of Leuven.

John Clevenger (Philosophy 2009)
Philosophy graduate John Clevenger completed his M.A. in Philosophy at CSU Long Beach and has accepted an offer of admission to the PhD program in philosophy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne. John was offered admission to a number of prestigious PhD programs, but chose Illinois because of its commitment to Experimental Philosophy (or X-Phi) and excellent program in the philosophy of cognitive science.

Alex Slabey (Philosophy 2009)
Philosophy graduate Alex Slabey completed his Single Subject teaching credential for the state of California in English in 2010. He is currently an Information Technician Manger (IT Manager) for Pavletich Electric and Communications company. His job consists of troubleshooting computer problems with the company's computer network, managing the company cell phones, modifying AutoCAD electrical and fire alarm plans, and making "calls" to residential and commercial locations to resolve any computer related issues.

James Brannen (Philosophy 2008)
Philosophy graduate James Brannen completed his J.D. from UC Davis School of Law in 2011. During his law school studies, he completed a clerkship with Judge Kimberly Mueller at the Federal District Courthouse for the Eastern District of CA in Sacramento and an internship at Weintraub, Genshlea, Chediak, a large law firm in downtown Sacramento. James has accepted an offer to be an associate with Weintraub, Genshlea, Chediak.

James Harvey (Philosophy 2007)
After graduating from CSUB in 07, James headed off to pursue his J.D. at the UC Davis School of Law.  While there, he worked as a research assistant on a project researching corporate governance in India.  James also had summer clerkships with two firms—the Ryan Law Group in Sacramento and Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper, Rosenlieb & Kimball LLP in Bakersfield. James graduated in May 2010 and took the California Bar Exam in July 2010. In August 2010, James returned to Bakersfield to work for Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper, Rosenlieb & Kimball, working in the firm’s complex litigation group. His practice is a mixture of personal injury defense, contract claims, fraud claims, employment litigation, collections, appeals, and business counseling. James is also active with the Kern County Bar Association and its Young Lawyers Division.

Patty Lopez (Philosophy 2007)
Philosophy graduate Patty Lopez graduated from San Joaquin College of Law in May 2011. She is currently studying to take the CA Bar Exam.

Teresina Hone (Philosophy 2007)
Philosophy graduate Teresina Hone currently works for Valley Oasis (previously known as The Antelope Valley Domestic Violence Council) as a Case Manager/Group Facilitator. Valley Oasis is a comprehensive social services agency, offering a 24 hour Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline, a 60 day emergency shelter program for victims of Domestic Violence, and transitional housing programs for shelter clients. Her job consists of educating victims of Domestic Violence; teaching them how pervasive a problem Domestic Violence is and teaching them to recognize the signs of a violent person in the hopes that they will stop the cycle of violence.

Michael Aguilar (Philosophy 1995) 
We have just heard from former Philosophy major from the Class of 1995. Michael is president and owner of Five Tool Group, Inc., a small special event transportation consulting company, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since October of 2003, Michael has been the Programme Manager of Transport & Signage for the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee for the 15th Asian Games, to be held in Doha, Qatar in December of 2006. Congratulations, Michael. We are very proud of you!

Ed Lucero (Philosophy 1976)
We have just heard from Ed Lucero, a philosophy alum from the Class of 1976, who has been working in the aerospace industry. What a terrific surprise, Ed! It’s great to hear from you, and great to hear you are doing well. Please continue to keep us up to date.