Philosophy, the pursuit of wisdom, is one of the oldest and most enduring human intellectual enterprises. Philosophy begins in wonder—wonder at the richness, order, and beauty of the world around us, wonder at the grandeur and horror of the acts we perpetrate, and, not least, wonder at the mystery and elusiveness of our own nature. But it does not stop there. Philosophers reflect on all these matters, trying to understand the world and themselves.

Philosophers have generally taken several questions as central:

• What is there? (And, what, in particular, am I?)

• How do I know?

• What should I do?

The Philosophy Department of the University of Texas at Austin carries on that tradition.