BA Philosophy
About this course
Philosophy is one of the oldest intellectual disciplines, asking foundational questions about what exists, what we can know, what we ought to do, and what is of value. It does so through the disciplined use of argument and analysis, subjecting ideas, claims, and assumptions to rigorous critical scrutiny and developing the capacity for careful, independent reasoning about problems that resist easy answers. Philosophy addresses questions in ethics, logic, metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind and language, political philosophy, and the philosophy of science, and it engages with these questions not just historically but as live intellectual challenges that matter to how we understand ourselves and the world. At the University of Manchester, this three-year full-time programme takes you through the core areas of the discipline, developing both your systematic understanding of the major problems and your capacity for independent philosophical argument. You will study logic, ancient and early modern philosophy, ethics, the philosophy of mind, and more specialist areas as the degree progresses, engaging with the most important thinkers and arguments in the tradition while also learning to formulate and defend your own positions. Manchester has a strong research profile in philosophy and the teaching reflects the vitality and diversity of work in the contemporary discipline, from formal philosophy and logic to ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of science. Philosophy graduates are exceptionally versatile, entering careers in law, the civil service, policy, education, journalism, business, finance, the arts, and any professional field where the capacity to think clearly, argue rigorously, and identify the assumptions behind a position is valued. The skills of philosophical reasoning transfer across an unusually wide range of occupations. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in philosophy, law, politics, or related fields, and a significant number go on to academic careers in philosophy or allied disciplines.
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