University of London Diploma and BA in Philosophy
course syllabuses

[The following information is taken from the University of London Prospectus Undergraduate Study in the Humanities]

Introduction to philosophy
In this course, students will be introduced to the methods and content of philosophy by considering, at an elementary level and in a carefully guided way, some of the central problems that arise within the subject. Included here will be: free will, determinism and responsibility, personal identity, the relation of the mind to the body, the nature of knowledge and the issue of equality.

(Note that this subject is only available for students studying the Diploma in Philosophy.)

Epistemology
An investigation of the problems of analysing knowledge, and dealing with the challenge of scepticism.

Metaphysics
An exploration of the main questions of metaphysics, including those raised by the nature of substance, problems of identity and individuation, as well as issues involving time, causation and universals.

Modern Philosophy: Descartes, Locke, Berkeley and Hume
Study of the main metaphysical, logical and epistemological views of Descartes, Locke, Berkeley and Hume.

Greek philosophy: the Pre-Socratics and Plato
The interpretation of the extant fragments of Pre-Socratic philosophy and a selection of Plato's dialogues including (but not limited to) The Republic, Symposium, Theaetetus, Phaedo, Philebus and Parmenides.

Ethics: historical perspectives
An exploration of the history of moral philosophy. Views studied include those of Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill, Moore and Ayer, as well as the history of such doctrines as deontology, naturalism, utilitarianism and emotivism.

Logic
(It is presupposed that the student will have some background in elementary formal logic.)

The course itself is broadly concerned with the philosophical questions that arise from logic. Topics included are: truth, conditionals and validity, reference, necessity, vagueness, as well as a number of issues addressing the relationship between natural language and logic.

Methodology
An investigation of explanation generally, and in science, as well as the problems of induction and confirmation.

Modern philosophy: Spinoza, Leibniz and Kant
Study of the main metaphysical, logical and epistemological views of Spinoza, Leibniz and Kant.

Greek philosophy: Aristotle
The study of the broadly metaphysical, logical and epistemological doctrines of Aristotle. Works covered include Physics, On God, On the Soul, Categories, Posterior Analytics and Metaphysics.

Ethics: contemporary perspectives
An investigation of central questions in moral philosophy including such issues as: the metaphysical status of moral value, morality and truth, theories of the good, moral relativism and moral conflict, consequentialism and moral accountability.

Continental philosophy from Hegel
The main doctrines of post-Hegelian philosophers from Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, and the doctrines of phenomenological philosophers from Brentano to Merleau-Ponty.

Philosophy of mind
An exploration of the problems raised by intentionality, consciousness and action. Issues covered include: the relationship of the mind to the physical world, the understanding of subjectivity and the nature of human action.

Philosophy of language
An exploration of the notion of meaning as well as an investigation into the more detailed problems arising from the study of natural language. Included are topics such as: metaphor, reference and the nature of rules of language.

Philosophy of Kant
A study of the views of Kant with special reference to his Critique of Pure Reason, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and the first part of the Critique of Judgement.

The philosophies of Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein
The study of the foundations of analytic philosophy through an exploration of the main works of Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein.

Political philosophy
The study of the history of political philosophy as well as an investigation of contemporary issues. Included in the historical part of the course are works by Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Marx and Mill. Contemporary issues involved topics such as the state, justice, democracy, equality, toleration, liberty, rights, social choice theory and feminism.

Aesthetics
An investigation of problems such as: the nature and value of art, aesthetic judgment, representation, expression and interpretation. Included will be a historical approach to these issues involving writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Nietzsche and Collingwood.

Symbolic logic
The study of the meta-theory of formal systems, set theory, computability and an exploration of non-standard logics. This course is most naturally paired with the Philosophy of Mathematics and demands some familiarity with technical results in mathematics.

Philosophy of science
The study of explanation in science, including an investigation of theories and theoretical reduction, laws of nature, probability and confirmation, accounts of space and time and the interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Philosophy of religion
The overall aim of this course is the philosophical scrutiny of the claims of religious believers and those made on behalf of the major religious traditions. Specific topics include: arguments for God's existence, an investigation of religious language, the nature of religious experience and the issue of the soul and immortality.

Post-Aristotelian philosophy
A study of the philosophical writings of the period from 322 BC to 600 AD. The Hellenistic and Neoplatonic traditions are the main ones that figure in this period.

Medieval philosophy
The study of metaphysical and epistemological writings of the period from Augustine to Suarez, including besides these: Boethius, Anselm, Aquinas, Abelard, Duns Scotus and Ockham. Also studied are the medieval Jewish and Islamic traditions.

Indian philosophy
The study of the views of the central figures in the history of Indian Philosophy. Note that a knowledge of Sanskrit is recommended for this course.

Philosophy of Mathematics
This course centres on the problem of how to give an account of both mathematical knowledge and mathematical reality which are plausible and coherent. Some knowledge of mathematics is necessary, and this course forms a natural pair with Symbolic Logic.

Note The range of modules available sometimes changes. If there is a particular topic which you are keen to take, you should check when you apply to the University of London that this option will be available.