Aristotle contemplating a bust of Homer
Oil on canvas, 1653
Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Philosophy has been divided into several traditional areas: METAPHYSICS concerns the nature of "reality" and existence; EPISTEMOLOGY explores the nature, source and limits of knowledge; ETHICS studies the nature of right and wrong, duty and moral obligation and ; LOGIC helps us determine the difference between correct and incorrect reasoning.

At Yakima Valley Community College, our courses focus in helping students develop a number of abilities that promote an understanding of Philosophy; the ability to analyze; the ability to organize, assess and compare claims; the ability to read and listen with care and discernment; and the ability to articulate in both written and oral forms what one thinks and why.