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Department of Philosophy

Philosophy is the oldest academic discipline, having given birth over two millennia to logic, ethics, physics, psychology, and computer science.

Welcome

Welcome to the Department of Philosophy Web site. By browsing these pages, you will find information about our programs of study, our course offerings, and our departmental activities organized during the academic year, such as our lecture series and reading groups. 

You will also find out about the areas of specialization of our full-time professors. The Department takes both analytical and continental philosophy seriously, and offers students a wide selection of courses to choose from. 

I invite you to browse the site and find out more about our Department. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Contact the Department
Desmarais Hall
Desmarais Hall
148

undergraduate students

56

graduate students

20

professors

Programs

Philosophy has disparate branches; to name a few: ethics, political philosophy, logic, philosophy of language and of mind, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of the natural and social sciences, aesthetics. What seems to unite them is their concern with questions not normally answerable by science or empirical investigation alone; hence their reliance on abstract thought, and emphasis on conceptual and logical clarity.

Our programs are structured around three main areas: Value Theory (Ethics, Political philosophy), Metaphysics and Epistemology, and the History of Philosophy. They aim to acquaint students with the most important philosophical inquiries in the history of the field, and with the philosophers who have made the most noteworthy contributions to them. The programs expose students to works from both of the major western traditions of recent times, analytic and continental, as well as to various eastern traditions. Students may complete their programs entirely in English or in French, or may choose to follow courses in both languages.

News

Contact us

Department of Philosophy

Desmarais Building, Room 8101
55 Laurier Ave. East
Ottawa, ON  K1N 6N5
Map

Tel.: 613-562-5711
Fax: 613-562-5135
[email protected]

Office hours

Monday to Friday
From 8:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.
From 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
(June to August: closed at 3:30 p.m.)

Academic assistants

Undergraduate studies
Simard Hall, room 128
613-562-5134 
[email protected]

Graduate studies 
Desmarais Hall, 8th floor
613 562-5800 ext. 5439
[email protected]