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The School of Philosophy is committed to the traditional values associated with the discipline of Philosophy - clarity of thought, rigour of argument and the love of truth and wisdom. As with other Departments and Schools of Philosophy in Australia, our national School offers units in Metaphysics and Epistemology, Logic and the Philosophy of Language, the History of Philosophy, Moral Philosophy and Applied Philosophy. It engages with the concerns of these branches of philosophy as they appear in classic and recent writings, and in contemporary issues and controversies.

A distinctive feature of Philosophy at ACU National is that it is a discipline taught within a University that is both Catholic and public. Even though much of the subject matter of Philosophy is the same as in other Departments of Philosophy, the School believes that being part of a Catholic University can foster a kind of philosophical inquiry that is unique in Australia.

In this respect, two aspects of the Catholic tradition are of major importance for the style of philosophical reflection promoted in our School, namely, the commitment to social justice, and the interactions of philosophy and theology. The School believes that Christianity's sensitivity to justice and truth can deepen the insights of moral and political philosophy because it transforms our understanding of human meaning, value, spirituality and our sense of the dignity of the human person. The possibilities and promise of such interaction are integral to the School’s strong research and teaching commitment to the ethical dimensions of social practices embodied, for example, in the fields of business, nursing, education, counseling, in the methodologies of science and in the expressions of the arts.

The School nurtures a close collaboration with theology and is committed to investigating the relationship between faith and reason. This is an issue that has always been of central concern to both philosophy and theology. In recent times Western Philosophy has distanced itself from its engagement in this debate choosing to focus more on issues in logic and language. However, the School of Philosophy here at ACU National believes that a dialogue between faith and reason is integral to the ways in which our society understands itself and that philosophy is central to this dialogue.

The School of Philosophy at ACU National is a very active school. It greatly contributes to the enrichment of Philosophy and public debate on important moral and political issues in Australia not only through the quality of its teaching and research, but also through the different events it holds. It is the hope of the School of Philosophy at ACU National that the Australian community will come to value ACU National as a place where good things happen in philosophy and happen often.