Philosophy is characterised by a set of distinctively philosophical problems about the world and about our place in it; about appearance and reality; about value and conflicts of value; about the nature and limits of our own mind and bodies. We aim to cultivate students’ understanding of such problems, partly by exploring what the great philosophers have been saying about them over many centuries. Philosophy is also characterised by a set of skills and attitudes relevant to one’s effort to understand and orient oneself within the problems, and to develop and defend particular solutions to the problems. The key place to learn such skills is in the small-group tutorial, which meets eight times for every module. Essay-writing is also central to the discipline. Philosophy provides a special course in thinking deeply, in reading critically, in listening patiently, in writing clearly, and in living a more reflective life.

1 - To develop a broad understanding of (i) the history of Western philosophy from Plato through to contemporary figures, both in the English-speaking world and in other European countries, as well as of (ii) contemporary philosophical movements and methodologies e.g. phenomenology and hermeneutics
2 - To examine the nature of the human mind, and its interaction with the world through the human body; to enquire into the fundamental structures of the universe, together with an appreciation of the powers and limits of scientific enquiry in uncovering such structures;
3 - To explore some of the important points in contemporary debates about ethics and politics and society;
4 - To analyse and clarify the meaning of difficult concepts in different contexts, to explore the presuppositions and implications of the use of such concepts, to distinguish such concepts from other similar concepts.
5 - In response to attempts to persuade using arguments (in text or speech), to analyse those arguments, to assess them fairly, to discover weak or false argumentative steps, and to develop a counter-argument.
6 - To acquire the grounding of an active citizenship, built on intelligently and tactfully challenging received ideas.
7 - To acquire a sensitivity to ignorance, obfuscation, fudging and self-deception, and to engage in detailed and persistent research and enquiry to eliminate them.
8 - To develop and articulate one’s own position on a range of issues, to anticipate challenges to such a position, and to recognise those issues on which one does not or cannot have a position..
9 - To seek more intelligently, and to better understand, the meanings in one’s life.

Students are required to select 25 option credits in stage 2.

Students are required to select 25 option credits in stage 3.

Students are required to select 25 option credits in stage 4.


Students wishing to take PHIL31130 Training as a Philosophy Researcher 1 and PHIL31140 Training as a Philosophy Research 2 must apply directly to the school for a place.

Module ID	Module Title	Trimester	Credits
Stage 2 Options - A)MIN5OF: Select a minimum of 5 of the following option modules
PHIL20010	Rationalism and Empiricism	Autumn	5
PHIL20440	Feminism & Gender Justice	Autumn	5
PHIL20490	Knowledge & Scepticism	Autumn	5
PHIL20500	Phenomenology & Existentialism	Autumn	5
PHIL20750	Intro to Premodern Thinking	Autumn	5
PHIL20760	Intro to Buddhist Philosophy	Autumn	5
PHIL20020	Logic	Spring	5
PHIL20240	Applied Ethics	Spring	5
PHIL20570	Philosophy & Literature	Spring	5
PHIL20580	Plato's Republic	Spring	5
PHIL20640	Philosophy of Mind and AI	Spring	5
PHIL20700	Introduction to the Philosophy of History	Spring	5
PHIL20710	Body, Mind, World	Spring	5
PHIL20770	Emotions & Morality in 18th-century Philosophy	Spring	5
Stage 2 Options - A)MIN5OF: Select a minimum of 5 of the following option modules
Stage 3 Options - A)MIN2OF: Please ensure that you register to a minimum of 25 credits overall for Stage 3. You must select at least 20 credits from this options list. Remaining credits may be selected from from this list or the second options list below.
PHIL31010	The Philosophy of Nietzsche	Autumn	10
PHIL31030	Philosophy of Perception and the Senses	Autumn	10
PHIL31040	Philosophy of Interpretation	Autumn	10
PHIL31060	History of Ethics	Autumn	10
PHIL31070	Aristotle: Ethics & Politics	Autumn	10
PHIL31090	Hume and Kant	Autumn	10
PHIL31150	Phenomenology and History	Autumn	10
PHIL31020	Kant on Freedom & Morality	Spring	10
PHIL31050	Critical Theory	Spring	10
PHIL31080	Hist & Phil: Nazi Germany	Spring	10
PHIL31100	Philosophy of Fiction	Spring	10
PHIL31110	Applied Epistemology	Spring	10
PHIL31120	Wittgenstein	Spring	10
PHIL31160	The Medieval Mind	Spring	10
PHIL31170	Philosophy of Language	Spring	10
Stage 3 Options - A)MIN2OF: Please ensure that you register to a minimum of 25 credits overall for Stage 3. You must select at least 20 credits from this options list. Remaining credits may be selected from from this list or the second options list below.
Stage 3 Options - B)MIN0CR: 5 Credit Options
PHIL20440	Feminism & Gender Justice	Autumn	5
PHIL20500	Phenomenology & Existentialism	Autumn	5
PHIL20620	Philosophy of Social Science	Autumn	5
PHIL20750	Intro to Premodern Thinking	Autumn	5
PHIL20760	Intro to Buddhist Philosophy	Autumn	5
PHIL20580	Plato's Republic	Spring	5
PHIL20640	Philosophy of Mind and AI	Spring	5
PHIL20700	Introduction to the Philosophy of History	Spring	5
PHIL20770	Emotions & Morality in 18th-century Philosophy	Spring	5
Stage 3 Options - B)MIN0CR: 5 Credit Options
Stage 4 Options - A)MIN2OF: Please ensure that you register to a minimum of 25 credits overall for Stage 4. You must select at least 20 credits from this options list. Remaining credits may be selected from from this list or the second options list below. . Students wishing to take PHIL31130 Training as a Philosophy Researcher 1 and PHIL31140 Training as a Philosophy Researcher 2 must apply to the UCD School of Philosophy. For PHIL31130 and PHIL31140, selection is based on GPA in Philosophy. Please email philosophy@ucd.ie to apply for both modules
PHIL31010	The Philosophy of Nietzsche	Autumn	10
PHIL31030	Philosophy of Perception and the Senses	Autumn	10
PHIL31040	Philosophy of Interpretation	Autumn	10
PHIL31060	History of Ethics	Autumn	10
PHIL31070	Aristotle: Ethics & Politics	Autumn	10
PHIL31090	Hume and Kant	Autumn	10
PHIL31130	Training as a Phil Researcher1	Autumn	10
PHIL31150	Phenomenology and History	Autumn	10
PHIL31020	Kant on Freedom & Morality	Spring	10
PHIL31050	Critical Theory	Spring	10
PHIL31080	Hist & Phil: Nazi Germany	Spring	10
PHIL31100	Philosophy of Fiction	Spring	10
PHIL31110	Applied Epistemology	Spring	10
PHIL31120	Wittgenstein	Spring	10
PHIL31140	Training as a Phil Researcher2	Spring	10
PHIL31160	The Medieval Mind	Spring	10
PHIL31170	Philosophy of Language	Spring	10
Stage 4 Options - A)MIN2OF: Please ensure that you register to a minimum of 25 credits overall for Stage 4. You must select at least 20 credits from this options list. Remaining credits may be selected from from this list or the second options list below. . Students wishing to take PHIL31130 Training as a Philosophy Researcher 1 and PHIL31140 Training as a Philosophy Researcher 2 must apply to the UCD School of Philosophy. For PHIL31130 and PHIL31140, selection is based on GPA in Philosophy. Please email philosophy@ucd.ie to apply for both modules
Stage 4 Options - B)MIN0CR: Credit Rule
PHIL20010	Rationalism and Empiricism	Autumn	5
PHIL20440	Feminism & Gender Justice	Autumn	5
PHIL20620	Philosophy of Social Science	Autumn	5
PHIL20750	Intro to Premodern Thinking	Autumn	5
PHIL20760	Intro to Buddhist Philosophy	Autumn	5
PHIL20570	Philosophy & Literature	Spring	5
PHIL20580	Plato's Republic	Spring	5
PHIL20640	Philosophy of Mind and AI	Spring	5
PHIL20700	Introduction to the Philosophy of History	Spring	5
PHIL20770	Emotions & Morality in 18th-century Philosophy	Spring	5
Stage 4 Options - B)MIN0CR: Credit Rule

		Award		GPA
Programme	Module Weightings	Rule Description	Description
BHACS014	Stage 3 - 50.00% Stage 2 - 50.00%	Standard Honours Award	First Class Honours	3.68	4.20
			Second Class Honours, Grade 1	3.08	3.67
			Second Class Honours, Grade 2	2.48	3.07
			Pass	2.00	2.47
BHACS001	Stage 3 - 50.00% Stage 2 - 50.00%	Standard Honours Award	First Class Honours	3.68	4.20
			Second Class Honours, Grade 1	3.08	3.67
			Second Class Honours, Grade 2	2.48	3.07
			Pass	2.00	2.47
BHACS023	Stage 3 - 70.00% Stage 2 - 30.00%	Standard Honours Award	First Class Honours	3.68	4.20
			Second Class Honours, Grade 1	3.08	3.67
			Second Class Honours, Grade 2	2.48	3.07
			Pass	2.00	2.47
BHACS027	Stage 4 - 50.00% Stage 3 - 30.00% Stage 2 - 20.00%	Standard Honours Award	First Class Honours	3.68	4.20
			Second Class Honours, Grade 1	3.08	3.67
			Second Class Honours, Grade 2	2.48	3.07
			Pass	2.00	2.47