Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Meaning, Justice, and Knowledge
The department invites students into three distinctive human quests: the search for meaning, the search for justice, and the search for the foundations of knowledge. These searches are lifelong pursuits. Our classes help students to pursue their own authentic directions for this work by providing an introduction to outstanding literature in the field, and cultivating the necessary skills and virtues for its pursuit.
Our Faculty
Learning happens across all aspects of our campus. Andover's faculty are subject matter experts, mentors, stewards of Knowledge & Goodness, and much more. Kiran Bhardwaj is the Department Chair.
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Aidan Spencer
Austin Washington
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Kiran Bhardwaj
Instructor and Chair, Philosophy and Religious Studies [email protected] view full profileBhardwaj is an instructor in Philosophy and Religious Studies, and a Tang Fellow working on the ethi{CS} project, a collaboration focusing on ethics in computer science work.
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“The most fascinating part of teaching religion and philosophy is that my students and I get to look directly at topics that humans have long marked as confusing or unknown--the afterlife, human nature, evil, love, justice--and jump right in to conversations that have been going for millenia.”
IN THE CLASSROOM:
Religions of the Book | PHR310
This class will introduce students to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and the kaleidoscope of agreements and disagreements within and between these three religions. How does God communicate with humanity? How does one live a holy life (and why bother)? Is there life after death? What happened at the beginning of time? What will happen at the end? Students will explore the ways that Jews, Christians, and Muslims have asked and answered these questions—and many more—from their origins to today. By examining scriptures, memoirs, fiction, documentaries, graphic novels, and music, students will learn about the diversity and richness of these three traditions and their crucial role in the history, present, and future of the world.
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Andrew Housiaux
Currie Family Director, Tang Institute and Instructor, Philosophy and Religious Studies [email protected]Teaching Philosophy and Religious Studies is the heart of my engagement with Andover. In addition to my work directing the Tang Institute, I am involved with ongoing research on effective feedback practices and a multi-year collaboration with local Buddhist communities called Listening to the Buddhists in Our Backyard.
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Ryan is our visiting Scholar in Ethics & Technology.
Sample Courses
Proof and Persuasion | PHR 360
This course offers a practical introduction to informal logic and to the philosophical study of language. It stresses the development of individual skill in argument and includes a critical examination of the patterns of thought one encounters in everyday life.
Law and Morality | PHR 521
For what reasons should an individual obey or disobey the laws of society? Which kinds of governments are legitimate? To what degree should society restrict the freedom of individuals through laws on matters like abortion, pornography, race, and sexual relations?
Baseball and Philosophy | PHR 541
This course explores topics in philosophy and applied ethics through the lens of America’s Pastime: baseball. Class topics may include parallels between sports fandom and religious belief and belonging; the proud but furtive history of “lying” and stealing signs in baseball; the Negro Leagues, “desegregation” of organized baseball, and diverse Black philosophies of resistance, and more.
