Department of Philosophy

College of Arts, Languages & Letters
Sakamaki D-301
2530 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-8649
Fax: (808) 956-9228
Email: philo@hawaii.edu
Web: www.hawaii.edu/phil

Faculty

*T. Albertini, DPhil (Chair)—Renaissance and early modern philosophy, Islamic and contemporary Arab philosophy, women in philosophy
*A. Chakrabarti, DPhil—Indian philosophy, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind
*C. Y. Cheng, PhD—philosophy of language and logic, American philosophy, classical Chinese philosophy, Neo-Confucian philosophy
*V. Dalmiya, PhD—epistemology, feminist philosophy
*J. Fine, PhD—Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, history of aesthetics, ethics
*M. Ishida, PhD—classical American philosophy, Japanese philosophy, process philosophy, history and philosophy of mathematical logic
T. Jackson, PhD—specialist, director of philosophy in the schools; logic, comparative philosophy, philosophy for children
*S. Odin, PhD—Japanese philosophy, comparative philosophy, American philosophy
*F. T. Perkins Jr., PhD—classical Chinese philosophy, early modern European philosophy, comparative philosophy
*S. Smith, PhD—Indian Buddhism, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, cognitive science
*J. Tanke, PhD—continental philosophy, aesthetics, historical ontology, social and political philosophy
*G. Tsai, PhD—ethics, social and political philosophy

* Graduate Faculty

The Academic Program

Philosophy (PHIL) is an open inquiry that involves the disciplined examination of our most comprehensive goals, standards, and practice. For example: how should we conduct ourselves in our relations with one another? (ethics); what standards should we use to assess our institutions? (social and political theory); how may we achieve knowledge and understanding of the world around us? (epistemology, philosophy of science); what are the most general structures of thought and reality? (philosophy of logic and language, metaphysics); and what place does art have, or what place should it have, in human life? (aesthetics). In pursuing these questions, philosophy is often led to confront issues about the ultimate nature of reality and value or to consider possible limitations on our ability to answer or even to ask such questions. Philosophy proceeds with its task in part through contributing to ongoing discussions and debates within disciplines and traditions and also by cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural comparisons.

Students majoring in philosophy learn to develop a comprehensive view of the aspirations and achievements of human culture as well as a critical assessment of its failures. In the process, students acquire skills of careful reading and interpretation of texts and rigorous argumentative writing that is able to articulate a positive vision of their chosen sub-field of study while also reckoning charitably with relevant objections. The Department of Philosophy’s faculty has expertise in an unusually diverse range of philosophic traditions. The faculty includes specialists in Buddhist, Chinese, Indian, Islamic, and Japanese thought, as well as in many of the important Western traditions. The department as a whole has long been recognized internationally for its comparative work between philosophic traditions

The Philosophy Department is also home to two specialists from the University of Hawaiʻi Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education, responsible for philosophy for children Hawaiʻi (p4chawaii.org). It offers students the opportunity to learn from partnerships across colleges and disciplines within the university as well as the opportunity for an unpaid internship within the UH Uehiro Academy. It also administers the “Minor in Philosophy for Children.”

Undergraduate Study

Please see “Programs” section below for more information about our undergraduate programs.

Graduate Study

The department offers graduate training leading to the MA and PhD degrees. Students with BA degrees may apply to the MA program. Students are accepted directly into the PhD program only if they have already received the MA degree or the equivalent from an accredited institution and have met any other departmental requirements

Specific requirements for all graduate degrees are detailed in the department’s “Graduate Student Handbook” at uhmpsa.wordpress.com/the-graduate-student-handbook/.

Although the Western philosophical tradition remains the fundamental frame of reference for the department, the opportunity provided for specialization in the area of Asian philosophy is unique in that UH Mānoa is the only institution of higher learning in the U.S. with a regular program leading to the PhD degree with areas of specialization in Buddhist, Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Japanese, and comparative philosophy. Whatever their field of specialization, graduate students intending to complete a PhD in philosophy at UH Mānoa must acquire a thorough knowledge of the history and problems of Western philosophy. On the basis of this foundation, students may further specialize in one of three areas of study: Western philosophy, Asian philosophy, or comparative philosophy. The area of comparative philosophy is the most demanding; at the PhD level its requirements include proficiency in both the Western and Asian fields. The candidate is expected to gain a mastery of some specific topic that can be approached through the resources of two or more philosophic traditions.

All graduate students shall develop their course of study in consultation with the chair of the graduate program.

The MA and PhD in Asian philosophy are recognized Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) regional graduate programs. Residents of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming are eligible, on admission, to enroll at Hawaiʻi-resident tuition rates.

Programs

Bachelor’s

Philosophy, BA

Master’s

Philosophy, MA

Doctorate

Philosophy, PhD

Undergraduate Certificate

Islamic Studies, Undergraduate Certificate

Minor