The Philosophy Department at Boston University has always bucked the trend in academic philosophy—resisting moves toward narrow specialization, overly technical approaches, mere historical investigations, or broad-sweeping speculation about the human condition. The department’s model is Socratic: philosophy is about leading a good life, and in order to accomplish that, we must reflect, with clarity and rigor, on the deep and abiding issues of humankind, in conversation with classmates, teachers, and philosophers of the past. The Department is committed to excellent teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and considerable effort is devoted to training graduate students to become excellent teachers in their own right.