Philosophy

Philosophy is the oldest and most searching of the academic disciplines, concerned with questions that resist easy answers: What can we know, and how? What makes actions right or wrong? What is consciousness, and how does it relate to the brain?

What is justice, and what does it require of us? Do we have free will? Philosophy approaches these questions through rigorous argument and careful attention to concepts, developing skills in analysis, clarity, and critical reasoning that are among the most valuable that any discipline can offer.

At the University of Exeter, this three-year, full-time programme gives you a thorough grounding in the major areas of the discipline, including epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, logic, political philosophy, and the philosophy of mind. You will engage with texts from the history of philosophy alongside contemporary debates, learning to read carefully, argue precisely, and question assumptions that others take for granted. A year abroad option is available, allowing you to study philosophy in another national and academic context and to encounter different philosophical traditions and approaches.

Philosophy graduates are consistently recognised by employers for their analytical intelligence, their ability to construct and evaluate complex arguments, and the clarity and precision of their communication. The discipline prepares you exceptionally well for careers that require sustained and careful reasoning: law, the civil service, public policy, management consulting, finance, journalism, technology ethics, and education are all common destinations. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in philosophy, law, politics, or ethics, and some pursue academic careers in philosophy departments, contributing to the discipline's ongoing engagement with the questions that matter most.