BA Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of the most general and fundamental features of reality - including ourselves - and the knowledge and beliefs we have about that reality which are embodied in our concepts, theories and practices.

Our BA (Hons) in Philosophy course will enable you to learn how to develop and justify your own answers to some of the most fundamental and important questions that human beings can ask:

Can I know that I'm not trapped inside The Matrix?
What makes something the morally right thing to do?
Do we have free will?
Does God exist?
Is the human mind just a lump of grey matter?
While we'll explain to you some of the existing answers to these questions, and the reasons why one might think those answers are correct, our focus is on learning how to critically assess these arguments and to develop and argue for your own answers.

You will develop extremely useful skills during your study:

how to present an effective and rigorous argument;
how to develop criticisms of other people's arguments and views;
how to explain difficult material clearly and concisely; and
how to deal with the fact that on most of the important questions in life (and indeed some of the less important ones), reasonable people can believe radically different things.
These skills are hugely valuable in any career as well as in everyday life, whether you're trying to decide what you should do, having an argument with a friend, or simply reading a newspaper.