Philosophy News

Spring 2026 Philosophy Courses

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Living Well Online

Explore philosophical reflection on human happiness, flourishing, and virtue, with a focus on the challenge of living well in a digital age.

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Current Controversies: Achievement and Games

Why should we think achievements are good, independent of any broader social or personal benefit? Why should games be important sources of satisfaction when they seem so trivial? Why should we—as many do—pride ourselves in our achievements in games?

bust of Zeno of Citium.

Early Stoicism

An investigation into Ancient Greek Stoicism. We study the influences on the first Stoics and the Stoic theories of logic, physics, and ethics.

Michael Foucault

Michel Foucault

Understand the work of one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century.

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Philosophy of Law and the State

Examine issues in the philosophy of law, such as the nature of law, law and morality, justice, liberty and authority, punishment, and legal responsibility.

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Earn a certificate in the ethics of artificial intelligence

Employers are actively seeking employees who have experience grappling with the risks and ethical questions of artificial intelligence. The Ethics of AI Certificate teaches students the core skills and knowledge they need to understand how to mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence while harnessing its benefits.

Upcoming events

Krupa Patel
Alumni Spotlight

Krupa Patel (JD/PhD at Harvard)

Krupa Patel is a JD/PhD student at Harvard University. She graduated from Illinois in 2016 and is interested in ethics and political philosophy. 
Noël Saenz
Faculty Spotlight

Noël Saenz

Noël Saenz is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy, who specializes in metaphysics and the philosophy of religion. He is interested in a range of issues that have to do with layered view of reality (e.g., grounding, fundamentality, parts and whole, and the nature and existence of facts) and also places where metaphysics and philosophy of religion overlap (e.g., questions of divine simplicity and necessity). Saenz’s current research in metaphysics focuses on issues having to do with a layered view of reality. Front and center, here, are topics having to do with grounding, fundamentality,...