Global Philosophy & Worldviews and Social Care

Global philosophy and worldviews is a discipline that takes philosophical inquiry beyond the Western tradition to engage with the full diversity of human thought across cultures and centuries. Most philosophy taught in British universities draws primarily on the Greek, European, and Anglo-American traditions, but the questions philosophy addresses, about truth, ethics, the nature of reality, the good life, and the human condition, have been explored with equal sophistication in African, Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Jewish, and Buddhist traditions. Engaging seriously with this breadth enriches philosophical understanding and challenges assumptions that appear universal but are in fact culturally specific.

At Liverpool Hope this three-year full-time degree explores these global traditions in depth, examining African philosophy, Chinese ethics, Hindu explorations of the soul, Islamic political thought, Jewish existentialism, and Buddhist mysticism alongside the Western philosophical tradition. Social care is paired with this, combining the philosophical dimensions of caring for people with the practical and policy knowledge needed to work effectively in care settings. The combination is unusual but coherent: philosophy of the human person, ethics, and questions of justice and dignity are directly relevant to the values and dilemmas that arise in social care practice.

A sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement experience are all built into the programme, giving you professional experience, international exposure, and a portfolio of practical work alongside your academic studies.

Graduates move into careers in social care, community development, education, pastoral and chaplaincy roles, counselling, policy, and advocacy. The philosophical breadth of the degree also prepares you well for careers in journalism, international organisations, and interfaith work. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in philosophy, social work, ethics, or theology.