The mission of Saint Louis University's Department of Philosophy is to provide a philosophical education appropriate to the Catholic and Jesuit education goals. This goal is rooted in the fundamental Catholic belief that all human experience reveals and speaks to the existence and nature of God and the dignity and value of all human beings in themselves and as members of the human community.
The department strives to provide an excellent introduction to the discipline and practice of philosophy. The faculty seeks to build up in students the ability to understand, explain and evaluate lines of reasoning; to foster a reflective moral life; and to educate them on the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophical debate and the Catholic heritage. The faculty nurture in each student a philosophical habit of mind, an appreciation for the Western philosophical tradition, a spirit of intellectual inquiry and a lifelong desire for wisdom.