Philosophy studies the nature of reality and the ways people come to understand that reality, as well as the moral stance people adopt within it. Philosophy includes ethics, metaphysics (the nature of existence), and epistemology (the nature of knowledge), as well as logic and aesthetics.

At Susquehanna, the study of philosophy serves two purposes. First, it teaches students to think critically by acquainting them with the techniques of philosophical analysis and argumentation and by introducing them to the history of philosophical thought. Second, the study of philosophy helps students to live an "examined life" by encouraging them to develop their own individual philosophy. In this way, courses in philosophy provide students with the intellectual discipline and moral resources crucial for living a full and flourishing life.