Philosophy Archives

Philosophers in Athens painting by Raphael

Intellectual Humility and the Liberal Arts

Philosophy encourages intellectual humility, and intellectual humility is centrally important to a viable liberal arts education.

Learning to Ask Questions

Though junior Jared Eckert spent many years growing up in Hillsdale, he wasn’t drawn to the college until a “shameless” Google search for top politics schools led him to Hillsdale College. He then began to seriously consider staying in his hometown for undergraduate studies.

The Danger of the Liberal Arts

“There is some danger in the liberal arts,” Dr. Fennell told us in that first lecture. “If you wanted to stay where you’re at, you should have become a dental hygienist.” I didn’t tell him that in my childhood, entering the world of cavities and dental chasms had been my modest aspiration. But something other than my idea of common sense propelled me into the astonishing world of Dr. Fennell’s classroom, and into an uncommon store of wisdom.

Biochemistry, Polanyi, and Lewis: Encountering the Mystery of Human Life

“What do you want to communicate to the world?” “I want the world to know that science is beautiful.” Inspired by Dr. Jim Stephens’ question, Elisabeth Wynia chose the most ambitious topic of all: the mystery and beauty of life.

Professors of Influence: Dr. Stephens

A short, square man strides confidently into a classroom full of chattering freshmen. They don’t notice him. They are too busy arguing about Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, attempting to show off all that they learned from the preparatory assignment that Hillsdale prescribes to all incoming freshmen. The short man stops at his desk, looks ‘round the room quizzically, wondering at the air rich with arrogance, and slams his portfolio down hard. The sharp slap of paper on desk mutes the debate, and all students turn their heads to wonder at the man standing before them.