The universe and the university

How should we engage with philosophy? As students start at or return to university, this article explores how university institutions shape the teaching of philosophy. Philosopher Jennifer A. Frey reflects on the work of Laurie Santos, a cognitive scientist who is a star psychology professor at Yale, in how universities should be a community of scholars and students seeking the truth together as a common end. Frey integrates the popularity of the psychology professor's course as a commentary on contemporary university. "Philosophy, the traditional home of serious reflection about the good life, is marginalized in most American universities, including Yale. Treated as just one discipline of study among many others, it is not understood as central to university education; the prevailing assumption is that it can be safely ignored by most students."