Philosophy

Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Degree options:  

• Bachelor of Arts (BA), honours or major
• Any degree, minor

Other degree options in the field of philosophy at Mount Allison:

• BA, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) (honours or major)

At its core a search for understanding, philosophy helps students recognize their deep-rooted beliefs and ideas and challenges them to examine these ideas in detail.

The department of philosophy at Mount Allison believes that careful study of the great works of the past and present provides the best access to philosophical questions, and is committed to diversity. You will explore the history of philosophy from the sixth century B.C. to the 21st century, with areas of teaching and research in: 

• ethics, logic, metaphysics, value theory
• Indian, German philosophy
• social and political philosophy
• continental philosophy
• biomedical ethics
• feminist philosophy
• disability theory
• philosophy of science, law, biology, music, art
• ancient and medieval philosophy

Find a list of specific philosophy courses in the academic calendar – philosophy.

Not sure about the difference between a major, a minor, and an honours?

Popular career paths for philosophy majors include:

• community development officer
• human rights advocate
• lawyer
• teacher/professor
• business professional/manager
• public policy analyst
• human resources specialist
• international development worker
• writer/journalist
• advertising executive/copywriter

Alumni spotlight

Mary Jane Dykeman ('89)
Bachelor of Arts, philosophy and French
Partner, DDO Health Law; Partner & Co-Founder, INQ Data Law

"[A Mount Allison professor] started pointing me toward bioethics and that is the moment I knew. I was really fortunate early on and I knew I wanted to do health law, which was in its infancy then."

» Health care's problem solver — Mary Jane Dykeman ('89) helps health care organizations navigate the intricacies of the law and its impact on patients and their families

“Philosophy asks us to consider others’ ideas about the world and where they fit in with what we believe. There is a wonderful balance between learning about the views of others and developing critical standpoints and worldviews of our own based on them, which teaches us to think critically, be open minded, and to better articulate our own thoughts.”

Laura Gallivan
Honours philosophy (’14)
Deerville, NB

“I would recommend this program to any student who feels as if they are searching for something in their education that they have not yet found. If you want to wake up every morning excited to attend class, want to be a part of a close-knit community of students and professors, enjoy exercising your mind until it is exhausted, thinking critically, entertaining abstract thoughts, reading, writing, and arguing a point: become a philosophy major.” 

Megan Entwistle
Honours philosophy, minor in political science (’14)
Saskatoon, SK

“To study philosophy is to realize it requires courage to think critically. If you are a student that enjoys deep thought as it constantly shifts your perspective, then I wholly endorse this program for you.”

Connor Muir
Philosophy, minor in Commerce (’14)
Halifax, NS

A.H. Johnson Library
Named in honour of Dr. Allison Heartz Johnson – philosopher, teacher, and humanist – the A.H. Johnson Library houses all the books he collected during his distinguished career as a philosophy scholar, writer, and editor. Dr. Johnson graduated from Mount Allison with an honours degree in philosophy in 1931. As a professor of philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, head of the department during its formative years, a charter member of the Canadian Philosophical Association, a member of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Humanities Research Council of Canada, and author of numerous books and articles for philosophical journals – Dr. Johnson contributed greatly to the development of philosophy in Canada. 

Philosophy student prizes and awards

• Chase-Oxley Prize (first-year student)
• Lisson Memorial Prize (second-year student)
• Treash Memorial Prize (third-year student)
• Stanway Award (graduating student)
• Allison Heartz Johnson Scholarship (senior student)

Faculty spotlight

Dr. Jane Dryden
Associate professor, philosophy

J.E.A. Crake Teaching Award recipient, SSHRC Connections Grant recipient

» MtA student, professor co-present paper at national conference on philosophy of disability