SOPHIA was founded to provide avenues for applying critical thinking and exploring philosophical issues outside of the classroom and in the local community, and to promote critical thinking and philosophical practice in higher education. Sophia views philosophy as an experiential, practical endeavor that has academic, personal, organizational, and social benefits, and it regards critical thinking as essential to this endeavor. Sophia coordinates programs and promotes scholarship designed to stimulate thought, engage those present in dialogue, and foster an appreciation of the depth of philosophical problems and the methods of rational inquiry used to explore them.