Philosophy

Philosophy is among the oldest and most rigorous of intellectual disciplines, concerned with questions that resist easy answers and resist being passed off to any other subject. What makes an action good or just? Is the human mind more than a physical brain?

Are democracies better than other forms of government, and if so why? Do we have free will? Does God exist?

What is beauty and who has the authority to judge it? These are not merely academic puzzles; they are questions that have shaped law, politics, religion, science, and culture, and that remain live and contested in contemporary life.

At Birkbeck this three-year full-time programme gives you the chance to engage seriously with both ancient answers and new perspectives on these fundamental questions. Birkbeck has a long history of making rigorous higher education accessible, and its philosophy programme is no exception: you will encounter the great thinkers of the Western philosophical tradition alongside contemporary debates in ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of religion. The curriculum is designed to develop your ability to construct and evaluate arguments with precision, to read demanding texts carefully, and to write with clarity and intellectual honesty.

These are capacities that transfer well beyond philosophy itself, and employers across law, public policy, business, and many other sectors recognise the value of the analytical training that a philosophy degree provides.

Graduates of philosophy programmes move into careers in law, public policy, journalism, the civil service, education, ethical consultancy, research, and many other fields where the ability to reason carefully and communicate clearly is valued. Many continue to postgraduate study in philosophy, law, public policy, or related fields.