MA Philosophy and Greek
About this course
Philosophy and ancient Greek is one of the most intellectually demanding and most rewarding combinations available in humanities education. The connection is not coincidental: philosophy as a discipline was largely invented by thinkers writing in Greek, and engaging with Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, the Stoics, and the Epicureans in their original language opens dimensions of their thought that translation inevitably obscures. The meanings of key terms, the structure of arguments, the relationship between rhetoric and reasoning: all of these are richer and more precise when read in Greek. At Edinburgh, this four-year programme develops both disciplines to honours level, giving you the linguistic competence to read classical texts in ancient Greek and the philosophical sophistication to engage with their arguments on their own terms and in relation to contemporary debates. You will study the history of ancient philosophy alongside the major branches of the discipline as it is practised today, including epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and logic. Edinburgh is one of the UK's leading philosophy departments, and the quality of philosophical thinking you will be exposed to and challenged by is among the best available anywhere. A year abroad is built into the programme, broadening your academic perspective. Graduates from this combination go on to work in academia, law, journalism, the civil service, education, and public policy, as well as in a wide range of other fields where the capacity for careful analysis and precise argument is valued. Many continue to postgraduate study in philosophy, classics, or related fields, and some pursue doctoral research in ancient philosophy, which sits at a significant crossroads of philosophical and historical scholarship.
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