The Master's Program in Philosophy intends to engage students in a serious and thorough study of the Western philosophic tradition. It is not expected, however, that students will acquire merely an extrinsic knowledge of historical authors and doctrines. Rather, they should hope to recover the best of the philosophic tradition in the light of persistent questions, old and new. If you are a student contemplating graduate studies in philosophy, you undoubtedly already realize that the philosophic world is in ferment, and that many of the most vibrant impulses are coming from outside departments of philosophy. The insight that philosophy should not be considered a single discipline isolated from others is the foundation of the doctoral program of the University's Institute of Philosophic Studies, and students in the Master's program benefit from the interdisciplinary activity that the Institute fosters.