Philosophy Department Revises Total Program

The Department of Philosophy has completely revised its undergraduate degree program. Effective immediately, the new arrangement will eliminate the traditional general examination in Systematic Philosophy, putting required courses in its place.

The new plan, designed to eliminate duplication in the department, will not permit waiver of final course examinations taken to fill the new requirements by seniors.

"There has been a bit of feeling for some time in the department that our systematic general examinations duplicate the regular course examinations," Willard V. O. Quine, professor of Philosophy and chairman of the department committee which engineered the change, stated last night.

To avoid such duplication, generals will now be required only in the area of historical philosophy. "The integration effected by generals," Quine said, "is quite important for historical philosophy."

To replace the former systematic generals requirement, every major must take at least one half course in each of the three fields of Logic; Metaphysics and Epistemology; and Ethics, Aesthetics, and Theory of Value.

"Ordinarily," Quine stated, "unity is most important on the historical side, which may be viewed from a synoptic outlook in the less special and more interrelated way served by the generals."

Two Exams

The department will require two three-hour written examinations is the History of Philosophy. According to a statement by Morton G. White, professor of Philosophy and department chairman, these examinations "will touch various recurrent themes and issues in the history of philosophy. In each examination the student will be asked to expound and discuss the position of some major philosopher of his choice, and to-compare that position with those of another appropriate ancient or modern philosopher."

According to White, graduating this year will be permitted, if they so prefer, to take the traditional three hour systematic general.

Required Courses

Traditionally, any four courses in the department, in addition to two full courses in related fields, have been required for the philosophy degree. Now, however, the six full courses must include one half course in the area of Logic, which includes Philosophy 2, 140, 141, and 142. Another half course must be taken in the Metaphysics and Epistemology area, covered by Philosophy 148, 152, 154, 155, 156, and 157. The third field, Ethics, Aesthetics, and Theory of Value, is served by Philosophy 164, 165, 166, and 167.