Philosophy and Economics

Philosophy and economics is a combination that addresses the deepest and most practically consequential questions about human life. Philosophy brings rigorous methods for examining the foundations of knowledge, the basis of ethical judgement, and the nature of rational agency. Economics provides formal tools for modelling how individuals and societies allocate scarce resources and make decisions under uncertainty.

The two disciplines are more closely connected than they might first appear: economic theory rests on philosophical assumptions about rationality and welfare that philosophers scrutinise, while philosophical ethics engages with questions of distribution, justice, and the good society that economics helps to illuminate.

At the London School of Economics and Political Science, this programme is taught jointly by two world-leading departments. You will study philosophical questions in logic, epistemology, ethics, and the philosophy of social science alongside core courses in economics covering microeconomics, macroeconomics, and quantitative methods. The combination allows you to approach economic problems with philosophical depth and philosophical arguments with formal analytical rigour.

LSE's emphasis on rigorous, evidence-based reasoning is present throughout both strands, and the interdisciplinary environment means you will encounter other students and thinkers working at the boundaries of social science and the humanities.

The programme runs over three years and includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at a partner institution and engage with different intellectual traditions and approaches to both philosophy and economics.

Graduates from philosophy and economics programmes are genuinely versatile. Many enter finance, banking, and economic consultancy, where rigorous analytical thinking is highly valued. Others move into public policy, civil service, think tanks, journalism, law, and international organisations.

The philosophical training makes graduates effective at identifying hidden assumptions, constructing arguments, and evaluating evidence, qualities that are valued in any context where complex problems demand clear thinking. Postgraduate study in economics, philosophy, public policy, or law is a natural route for those who wish to specialise further.