Philosophy Minor for the Humanities Requirement

The departments of mathematics and philosophy have made it easier and rewarding for mathematics majors to pick up a minor in philosophy. By taking philosophy courses designated as allied field courses for the math major and/or cross-listed in math and philosophy, it is possible to add a minor in philosophy to your math major with as few as three additional courses and a minor in philosophy will complete your humanities division requirement the same as any three-course humanities cluster.

Important things to know about a minor in philosophy:

  • By taking Philosophy courses designated as allied field courses for the Math major and/or cross-listed in Math and Philosophy it is possible to add a Minor in Philosophy to your Math major with as few as 3 additional courses.
  • All Philosophy minors count as humanities minors.
  • The Philosophy department offers courses in logic, philosophy of mathematics, metaphysics, philosophy of artificial intelligence, and other courses that students who like formal systems, puzzles, and abstract questions find interesting.
  • University of Rochester philosophers are widely known for their research on the nature of mathematical knowledge, mathematical explanation, mathematical language and meaning, foundations of mathematics, and historical understandings of the role of mathematics in science.

Philosophy Minor Requirements

  • A Minor in Philosophy requires five (5) courses in philosophy (PHIL).
  • At least 2 of the 5 courses must be numbered higher than PHIL 202, and no more than 2 may be classified as science courses (Natural Science: PHIL 110, 199, 215, 216, 217; Social Science: LING 265/PHIL 249).
  • Department of Philosophy rules regarding prerequisites allow you to take courses numbered higher than PHIL 202 once you have completed any 100-level PHIL course or PHIL 201, 202, 212, 214, 215, 216, or 218. Any of PHIL 110, a 170 MATH course, MATH 200W, or MATH 235 may be used as the prerequisite for PHIL 212, 214, 215, 216, or 218. (If a MATH or LING designation appears before PHIL, then Philosophy is not the course ‘parent department’ and you should consult the Math or Linguistics department rules regarding prerequisites.)

Classification of Specific Courses

All philosophy courses are classified as humanities courses except six that are classified as natural or social science courses. The following list are those classified as science courses:

  • PHIL 110: Introductory Logic
  • PHIL 215/MATH 225: Intermediate Logic
  • PHIL 216/MATH 216: Mathematical Logic
  • MATH 199/PHIL 199: The Infinite
  • MATH 246/ PHIL 217: Set Theory
  • LING 265/PHIL 249: Formal Semantics

Humanities Courses of Likely Interest to Math Majors

  • PHIL 152: Science and Reason
  • PHIL 202: History of Modern Philosophy
  • PHIL 212: Probability, Inference and Decision (allied field course for Math major)
  • PHIL 214: Logical Methods in Philosophy
  • PHIL 218: Philosophy of Mathematics
  • PHIL 235: Data, Algorithms and Justice
  • PHIL 242: Metaphysics
  • PHIL 246: Social Character of Knowledge
  • PHIL 247: Philosophy of Language
  • PHIL 252: Philosophy of Science
  • PHIL 257: Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

Examples

Sample ways of completing a humanities minor in philosophy using two courses that can also be used in your math concentration:

Sample A

  • PHIL 114: Philosophy of Science Fiction
    • or PHIL 152: Science and Reason
    • or PHIL 105: Reason and Argument
    • or PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy
    • or PHIL 202: History of Modern Philosophy
  • PHIL 212: Probability, Inference and Decision (use a MATH 170s course as the prerequisite)
  • PHIL 257: Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
    • or PHIL 235: Data, Algorithms and Justice
  • PHIL 242: Metaphysics
    • or PHIL 247: Philosophy of Language
    • or PHIL 246: Social Character of Knowledge
    • or PHIL 214: Logical Methods in Philosophy
  • PHIL 216/MATH 216: Mathematical Logic
    • or PHIL 215/MATH 225: Intermediate Logic
    • or MATH 199/PHIL 199: The Infinite

Sample B

  • PHIL 218: Philosophy of Mathematics (use a MATH 170s course as the prerequisite)
  • PHIL 252: Philosophy of Science
    • or PHIL 246: Social Character of Knowledge
    • or PHIL 214: Logical Methods in Philosophy
  • PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy
    • or PHIL 202: History of Modern Philosophy
  • MATH 246/ PHIL 217: Set Theory
  • PHIL 212: Probability, Inference and Decision
    • or PHIL 215/MATH 225: Intermediate Logic
    • or PHIL 216/MATH 216: Mathematical Logic

Sample C

  • PHIL 212: Probability, Inference and Decision (use a MATH 170s course as the prerequisite)
  • PHIL 218: Philosophy of Mathematics
    • or PHIL 252: Philosophy of Science
    • or PHIL 246: Social Character of Knowledge
    • or PHIL 152: Science and Reason
    • or PHIL 214: Logical Methods in Philosophy
  • PHIL 216/MATH 216: Mathematical Logic
    • or PHIL 215/MATH 225: Intermediate Logic
    • or MATH 246/ PHIL 217: Set Theory
  • PHIL 257: Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
  • PHIL 247: Philosophy of Language
    • or PHIL 375/BCSC 275: Philosophy of Brain and Cognitive Science

See philosophy minor suggestions (Microsoft Word document) for more information including course descriptions and faculty profiles.