Philosophy and Religious Studies

Katherine Low, Department Chair

"MBU offers occasional courses in philosophy and a minor in religious studies."

Studying religions academically creates space for students to dive deep to better understand peoples, cultures, and societies around the globe because millions of people orient around religion differently worldwide. The religious studies minor provides an understanding of different religions including Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, along with some indigenous and pagan practices. Students learn analytical, critical, and professional leadership skills while gaining personal spiritual insight into the fundamental questions of life. Crucially, studying religion builds the capacity for pluralism, which is the active engagement with diversity that is essential for a healthy democracy. Students develop the skills of inclusivity and collaboration, learning how to bridge deep ideological and practical divides. Recognizing the role religion plays in social conflict and transformation equips future leaders with the cultural literacy and empathy needed to co-create peaceful, collaborative solutions in a diverse global society.

Philosophy is unlike any other field: it is unique both in its methods and in the nature and breadth of its subject matter. Philosophy pursues fundamental questions in every dimension of human life, and its techniques apply to problems in many fields of study or endeavor. No single definition expresses the richness and variety of philosophy: it is a reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths, a quest for deeper understanding, a study of the principles of conduct, and a critical examination of the ways-of-knowing and experiencing. Philosophers seek to establish standards of evidence, provide rational and humane methods of resolving conflicts, and create methods and criteria for evaluating ideas and arguments. Philosophy develops students’ capacity to view the world from the perspective of other individuals and other cultures; it enhances one's ability to perceive the relationships among diverse fields of study; and it deepens one's sense of the meanings and varieties of human experience.