ETERNAL QUEST: The famous existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre

Philosophy is a doctrine, school of thought or ism — a belief or system of beliefs — that is accepted as authoritative by some group or school. It is the rational investigation of questions about existence, knowledge and ethics. The term philosophy comes from the Greek word for “love of wisdom”. Some of the famous ancient philosophers are Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

The aim of philosophy is to understand ourselves, our world, our values and the entirety of existence. As humans we want to understand such things and we develop philosophy in order to acquire such an understanding. Philosophy requires our active engagement with the world, with ideas, with concepts and with our own thoughts.

What do I have to do?

The study of philosophy is usually approached in one of two different ways: the systematic or topical method and the historical or biographical method. The systematic or topical method is based upon addressing one question at a time. This means taking on a debatable issue and discussing the ways in which philosophers have offered their views and the various approaches they have about God, morality, knowledge and government.

The historical or biographical method explains the history of philosophy in a chronological manner, taking each major philosopher, school or period of philosophy in turn and discussing the questions addressed, answers offered, major influences, successes, failures and more. Using this method you can find presentations of ancient, medieval and modern philosophy in literature. You need to know how to analyse arguments, ask good questions and construct your own sound and valid arguments on some philosophical topic.

Philosophy depends not so much on facts but on an understanding of ideas, concepts, relationships, and the reasoning process itself. Addressing the issues in each branch of philosophy requires integrating everything one knows about reality (metaphysics) or humanity (epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics). Proposing reasonable positions in philosophy is therefore a difficult task. Honest philosophers have often disagreed about key issues, and dishonest ones have been able to slip their positions into the mix as well. For this reason, there is not one philosophy worldwide, as there is one physics.

Today, philosophic issues often enter public life through political or social movements, some religious in inspiration and others secular, such as left-wing environmentalism and socialism. The ideas of such movements are often called ideologies. That term, ideology, is another name for the systems of ideas we have been talking about. Though the focus of ideological movements is political, their political beliefs tend to be rooted in shared conceptions of reality, human nature and values.

What should I study?

You can study philosophy after doing your Plus Two in any subject. For a postgraduation in philosophy, you need to have studied it at the graduate level. The study of the subject includes humanism and humanist philosophy, objectivism and objectivist philosophy, existentialism and existentialist philosophy, metaphysics, ethics: contemporary perspectives, political philosophy, philosophy of religion and Indian philosophy.

What next?

You can do the same things with a bachelors degree in philosophy as you can with one in economics, physics, chemistry, English, history or psychology. Graduates find that studying philosophy helps sharpen their logical and creative thinking skills, helping them solve complex and difficult problems. They learn to listen attentively, respond with honesty and clarity, and argue forcefully for what they believe is right. And because they have been educated on a wide range of important issues, they are able to present themselves as knowledgeable, responsible individuals in almost any context or circumstance which may arise.

Students who earn advanced degrees in philosophy frequently get into teaching and writing, but it is also an excellent preparation for careers in law, politics, the media, civil services, computer design and systems. Law and government are common destinations. Management and consultancy are other options. Ethics and values have an increasingly major role in business / managerial decisions today. Postgraduates in philosophy can also look forward to a rewarding career in international administrative organisations or NGOs.

Where to study

Lady Sriram College for Women, New Delhi.

St Stephen’s College, Delhi University, Delhi.

Presidency College, Calcutta.

Jadavpur University, Calcutta.

Lady Brabourne College, Calcutta.

University of Bombay, Mumbai.

Loyola College, Chennai.

Bangalore University, Bangalore.

Christ College, Bangalore.

University of Allahabad, Allahabad.

University of Lucknow, Lucknow.

Fergusson College, Pune.

Karnataka University, Dharwad.

University of Madras, Chennai.

Central Institute of Indian and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad.
(This list is indicative only)