Philosophy Programme
Can we know that some things are good, or true, or beautiful? Do people have free will, or does science show that free will is an illusion? Are minds distinct from bodies or are they the same thing from a different viewpoint? Do we have obligations to other people, to animals and to the environment, or only to ourselves? Does only the physical world really exist or are some other things real too? What does it mean to say something is real?
Most people have opinions about at least some of these questions, or assume some answer to them without examination. Philosophy is the discipline which examines such questions, and develops thinking strategies to achieve greater clarity and consistency in our thinking about.
DEATH OF SOCRATES
Career Opportunities
Graduates in Philosophy pursue a wide range of careers in both the private and public sectors; their skills are not tied to any particular vocation. Recent graduates in Philosophy have gone into jobs as diverse as computing, teaching, treasury, publishing and business. Their experience in handling unusual and difficult ideas, communicating their thinking with clarity, being aware of the reasons for their views but also being flexible and adaptive, make them able to cope with new challenges as the needs of their work change.
Programme Structure
The programme involves careful reading of the thoughts of philosophers past and present about questions like those in the introductory paragraph. While the curriculum is not rigid, Philosophy always emphasises the reasons for ideas, so students will learn how to understand what they read rather than just remember it, and how to justify their own thoughts and express them with clarity. Thus they will learn how to engage constructively in debate and to think in new ways.
Almost any thinking person will find the study of philosophical questions to be of intrinsic interest, and any of the introductory Philosophy papers can be combined with a major in another subject. Students from all parts of the University have included some Philosophy papers in their degree. Some of our papers are in fact specifically designed with other fields in mind. Among these are Environmental Philosophy, and Business and Professional Ethics.
Philosophy is both intellectually challenging in its own right, and has the useful by-product of improving your ability to think and to express your thoughts in other areas where difficult, new or unusual ideas are being discussed. And you will always have something to think about! You will have joined in a conversation about the deepest topics of human thought, which is as old as civilisation itself.
