BA (Hons) Philosophy

The world's most pressing challenges don't fit neatly into one subject or discipline. This module puts you at the heart of tackling them.

You'll choose one of two pathways. Oxford Stories explores how narratives shape people, places and communities. Curiosity and Critical Thinking examines the role of evidence and information in contemporary challenges.

Working alongside academics, fellow students and external partners, you'll engage in projects that develop critical, creative and transferable skills needed to address real-world issues. You'll learn to analyse problems, consider multiple perspectives and apply your knowledge beyond your subject area.

Through collaboration and reflection, you'll deepen your understanding of yourself, your subject and the wider contexts in which you will live and work.

The second in a series of three modules running throughout the programme, Professional Development in Practice builds on your first year and prepares you for life beyond graduation.

Meet the two greatest philosophers of ancient Greece, Plato and Aristotle. You’ll explore the key themes in Plato’s Republic and Artistotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, uncovering vital ethical and political issues. You’ll understand why these fascinating texts have influenced the history of philosophy.

Does anything exist outside our minds? Are our thoughts just a product of our senses? In this module, you’ll get to grips with early modern philosophy, and its core texts and ideas. In part 1, you’ll dive into Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, and gain core analytical skills as you examine his attempts to provide a firm basis for knowledge. In part 2, you’ll dig into Hume’s Treatise on Human Nature and his Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, examining his attempts to construct a theory of the workings of the human mind. You’ll also explore the Immanual Kant’s views of space and time as developed in his book The Critique of Pure Reason.

You'll explore recent social and technological developments such as:

• globalisation
• social media and the internet
• medical and scientific advances
• mass migration.

You'll look at the new ethical challenges they present that are prominent in public debate and a source of conflict and division in society. You'll analyse some of these ethical issues from a philosophical perspective.

You'll consider whether corporations have moral responsibilities, as well as the best ways to combat racism. Also, you'll examine how epistemic vices such as close-mindedness, intellectual arrogance and dogmatism are fostered by the prevalence of conspiracy theories, fake news, and testimonial injustice?

Are we right to assume that democracy is the only morally-defensible way to govern a country? Can technology and science help us to improve ourselves?

How did language - the centre of our culture, family ties and business transactions - develop? In this module, you’ll get to understand fascinating debates around language, and why philosophers have been so drawn to it throughout history. You’ll gain core critical skills, as you consider questions around:

• what language is
• whether we can study it scientifically
• the relationship between language and thought.

This module explores some of the philosophical issues raised by economics. Together we'll cover topics like:

• the status of economics as a social science
• the philosophy of science about what makes a discipline scientific
• the nature of causation and explanation and how they differ between the natural and the social sciences.

The foundational assumptions of economics involve broader questions about human nature, so we'll delve into the background ideas involved in decision and game theory.

When it comes to ethics and political philosophy, we'll talk about the nature of collectives, corporations and their responsibilities. You'll also have a chance to evaluate other ethical questions raised by economics like the treatment of “externalities” in economic theory and questions of value relating to human welfare and the environment.

In this module, you’ll discover science, and its role in our society. You’ll get to grips with the main philosophical questions around scientific knowledge, and the methods we use to explore it. You’ll gain core critical skills as you consider classic philosophy of science topics, and investigate some new ideas. You’ll debate topics such as:

• do the entities postulated by scientists really exist?
• can scientific theories be falsified by observation?
• is theoretical change in science a rational process?
• how much of the biological world can be explained by appeal to natural selection?
• what is the measurement problem in quantum mechanics?

The concept of wellbeing is prominent in moral and political philosophy. Outside of philosophy ordinary people are increasingly becoming concerned with their wellbeing and in the political domain the maximisation of wellbeing is often a central goal of policy makers. This module examines philosophical issues concerning wellbeing:

• Is there such a thing as wellbeing and, if so, what exactly is it?
• How is wellbeing related to happiness and pleasure?
• Can wellbeing be objectively measured and aggregated?
• How have modern social and technological developments impacted on our wellbeing?
• Can events that take place after our death contribute to our wellbeing?

In this module, you’ll be introduced to the basic issues in the philosophy of law. Explore questions such as ‘what is the social function of a legal system?’ through the sociological context of legal systems, as well as the different types of Western and non-Western legal systems

You’ll examine theories of punishment and their philosophical presumptions, as well as considering topics including;

• Legal positivism
• Legal realism
• Natural law theory
• Critical legal theory.

What is art? What makes something beautiful? How does emotion, imagination and knowledge contribute to our understanding and appreciation of artworks?

In this module, explore these questions through aesthetics and philosophical reflection on art through interactive lectures and a visit to one of Oxford’s renowned museums or galleries.

You’ll engage with philosophical issues concerning various forms of art:

• Painting
• Photography
• Cinema
• Graffiti
• Music
• literature
• and environmental art.

You will also consider the political and sociological dimensions of such art forms.

This module offers the opportunity to study abroad, experience a new culture, and apply your skills in different contexts to enhance your employability. It will help you develop self-management, cross-cultural communication, and interpersonal skills.

You’ll receive support to secure a place at a partner institution abroad, where you can choose modules related to your degree or explore new areas that complement your studies.

Studying at an international university will help you enhance your interpersonal skills through cross-cultural communication with students and tutors, allowing you to build lasting relationships. You'll also improve your study skills by focusing on your chosen areas of interest, gaining valuable international experience that will strengthen your CV.

This year abroad module lasts for one academic year and is taken after the conclusion of your second year of study, once you’ve completed all your level 5 studies. Your year abroad is not credit-bearing.

How should we live? What do we owe to others? How can we respond to the ethical, political and social challenges of our time? In this final-year module, you'll draw on the knowledge, skills and experiences developed throughout your degree to confront some of the most pressing questions facing an uncertain world.

Through a combination of practical experiences, reflection and independent activity, you'll deepen your understanding of philosophy's role in contemporary society and explore how philosophical thinking can inform personal, professional and civic life. You'll develop greater self-awareness, articulate your strengths and aspirations, and build confidence in applying your knowledge beyond the classroom.

The third in a series of three modules running throughout the programme, Confronting a Challenging World provides a capstone experience that helps you consolidate your learning, showcase your skills and prepare for the opportunities and challenges beyond graduation.

This module gives you the chance to do research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll have the support of expert staff, as you critically analyse and present your research on a pressing philosophical issue. Whether you’re investigating the ethics of artificial intelligence, fake news or feminist philosophy, you’ll shape your dissertation around your passions, and gain the skills for a groundbreaking career.

This module offers you the opportunity to pursue more in-depth study of a specialist area of research or other co-curricular topic not otherwise available in modules on the course.

The content of this module is agreed between the student and their supervisor and must be approved by the module leader of the course.

This module gives you the chance to do research on a topic that fascinates you. Over the course of your final year, you’ll work independently on a research project, with the help of expert supervision. Your dissertation will grow out of your specific passion, and you’ll gain excellent self-discipline and organisational skills for work. You’ll gain core skills for your career, including:

• research
• critical analysis
• time-management
• planned and focused writing.

In this module, you’ll dive into medieval philosophy - an unfairly neglected period in western philosophy. You’ll explore the fascinating ideas of a wide range of medieval thinkers, whose work still influences philosophy today. You’ll also gain a strong knowledge of the historical gap between ancient Greek philosophy and today.

In this module, you’ll address our relationship to the environment and the climate crisis. You’ll explore questions like:

• Is environmental activism justified?
• What is the difference between local and global activism?
• What are the methodological challenges for climate science?
• What drives climate change scepticism or denialism?

You’ll also consider Veganism, and the relation between our aesthetic appreciation of nature and environmental concerns.

The module also moves beyond the western perspective and considers Buddhist and various indigenous attitudes to the environment and our place within it.

This module explores central topics in metaethics, the philosophical study of the nature of morality and moral judgment. You will explore such issues as:

• are there objective moral facts?
• when we make a moral judgment are we making a factual claim or merely expressing our emotions or preferences?
• is morality culturally relative?
• how do our moral judgments motivate our actions.

In this module, you’ll get to know one of the liveliest areas of current research: contemporary philosophy of mind. You will explore issues such as:

• What is the relationship between the mind and the brain?
• How are our thoughts capable of being about phenomena that exist outside of the mind?
• Where is the mind located? Is it in our skulls or does it stretch beyond the outer surfaces of our bodies?
• Is consciousness a mystery or can it be explained from a scientific perspective?

A paradox involves a contradiction, or a tension. In some cases the contradiction is a logical one, and in others it is of some other kind.

These tensions, and resolving them, are the point of departure for all kinds of philosophically interesting topics:

• infinity (Zeno’s paradoxes)
• rationality (Newcomb’s problem)
• co-operation (the Prisoner’s dilemma)
• time travel (the Grandfather paradox)
• the nature of the world described by physics (the Twins paradox; Schrodinger’s cat)
• the foundations of mathematics (Russell’s paradox)
• the nature of truth and logic (the Liar, sorites, pseudo-Scotus and Curry’s paradoxes).

In this module, you’ll survey some of the most philosophically interesting paradoxes; for your own intrinsic interest, for the light that they shed on their respective philosophical topics, and as a fun application of philosophical methods and analysis.

Buddhism is one of the world’s major religions with approximately 400 million followers. It is a deeply philosophical religion that portrays human suffering as being based on a metaphysical delusion about the nature and existence of the self.

In this module, you’ll explore the central philosophical themes in Buddhist thought beginning with the account of the teachings of the Buddha in the Abhidharma. You’ll then examine philosophical work in the later Madhyamaka, Yogacara and Dignaga and Dharmakirti schools.

You’ll go on to investigate how Buddhist philosophy relates to contemporary Western concerns and can enrich our philosophical outlook and help us deal with the challenges of everyday life.

Phenomenology is the study of conscious experience and of how things appear to us. It can reveal surprising features of our own experience and tell us much about perception and the relationship between the mind and the body. This approach has dominated European philosophy since the early 20th century and we shall focus on the views of Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.

Existentialism is an approach in philosophy that focuses upon exploring the human condition. Existentialists such as Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus portray human individuals as having the capacity to make choices as to how to live their lives and thereby create their own identity. The challenge to live an authentic life is a demanding one and can generate anxiety or a sense that life is lacking in meaning. We'll examine the concept that the idea that philosophy should be a way of life rather than a detached theoretical exercise.

The Independent Study Module gives you the opportunity to explore a legal topic in greater depth, working closely with an academic whose research interests align with your chosen area. It allows you to investigate issues that go beyond the taught curriculum and develop expertise in a subject that reflects your interests and future ambitions.

You'll build advanced research, analysis and academic writing skills as you engage with legal scholarship, case law and contemporary debates. Students on our named pathways complete their project within their area of specialism, providing an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and showcase their expertise.

Whether you're considering postgraduate study, legal practice or another professional path, the module enables you to pursue an area you're passionate about while developing the independent learning skills valued by employers and researchers alike.

This module is compulsory if studying one of the named pathways.