What is philosophy?

What is philosophy? There is no accepted definition of philosophy, even professional philosophers can not decide on an agreed definition of their subject. The word 'philosophy' means love of wisdom, perhaps we should leave it at that. When you study philosophy at university, the subject is broken down into several well-known branches

Studying Philosophy at University

Like most subjects at university level, philosophy is broken down into modules. Each module is worth a certain amount of credit, and you are required to make up a fixed about in credit each year. Modules could involve studying a particular philosopher, such as Descartes, or a particular branch of philosophy, such as Ethics or even a particular issue within that branch, such as Abortion.

The courses are assessed by a combination of written essays and examinations. Your work will be given a mark as a percentage:

70%+ = 1
60-69% = 2.i
50%-59% = 2.ii

Some branches of Philosophy

Metaphysics: Concerned with providing an account of reality as a whole. Areas of interest include: space, time, categories of existence, whether or not there is a God.

Epistemology: Concerned with knowledge. Areas of interest include: Can we really know anything? What is the difference between knowledge and belief?

Ethics: Concerned with moral theory. Areas of interest include: What code of conduct should we live by? What is good or bad? Why should we live by moral rules?

Political Philosophy: Concerned with how we organize society. Areas of interest include: How should social lives be organized? What is a utopia?

Aesthetics: Concerned with art and beauty. Areas of interest include: What is art? Are the artist's intentions important?

Philosophy of Religion: Concerned with religious questions. Areas of interest include: What are the proofs of God's existence? What does it mean to have faith?

Check UCAS for philosophy courses