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Philosophy

Study Philosophy at UNE

Introduction

The word 'philosophy' literally means love of wisdom. The search for wisdom is as old as humanity itself and various traditions of philosophy have sought to contribute to it. The great philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume and Kant reflected on the nature of the world and of humanity's place within it. Today Philosophy as a discipline continues this tradition.

Philosophy investigates the basic claims science makes about the work as well as the principles that govern human life and morality, subjecting to critical scrutiny and frequently taking issue with received wisdom on these matters. Topics of philosophical interest are wide-ranging and rich in their complexity and intractability - questions such as: whether it is possible to travel into the past, whether euthanasia is morally ustified, how the brain can give rise to consciousness, how much of what we think we know we really do know, what it is to think and act rationally, are all perennial interest to Philosophy, for none of these questions has been definitively answered.

Whether or not you are intending to major in Philosophy, some units may easily be incorporated into your degree. All that is required is a willingness to think about things.

Why Study Philosophy at UNE?

The Philosophy Department at UNE has an excellent reseach profile (see "Research" section below). If you need further inspiration, why not listen to Dr Tony Lynch's Open Day Talk, "Ten Reasons not to Study Philosophy"? (see below right)

For further information about Philosophy--in particular metaphysics (PHIL150), please view our new short video:

  

Tony LynchUse the ‘play’ button below to listen to the audio.

Courses


Undergraduate Degrees

Advanced Diploma in Arts
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science

Postgraduate Coursework

Graduate Certificate in Arts
Graduate Diploma in Humanities
Master of Arts

Honours

Bachelor of Arts with Honours

Postgraduate Research

Master of Arts with Honours
Doctor of Philosophy

Units

PHIL101      Bioethics
PHIL102      The Art of Good Thinking
PHIL150      Introduction to Philosophy B: Introduction to Metaphysics
PHIL151      Introduction to Philosophy A: The Examined Life
PHIL303      Epistemology: The Enlightenment and Beyond
PHIL305      Time and Other Metaphysical Topics
PHIL320      Continental Philosophy A: Nietzsche
PHIL322      Continental Philosophy B: Foucault
PHIL323      Philosophy of Social Science
PHIL330      Elementary Logic
PHIL333      Professional Ethics in Contemporary Society
PHIL342      Ethical Theory
PHIL343      Aesthetics
PHIL363      Persons and Individuals
PHIL366      The Ethics of Environmentalism
PHIL375      Social Philosophy: Issues in Applied Ethics
PHIL385      Reason and Choice: Individual, Social, Political
PHIL401H    Philosophy Hons Coursework
PHIL402H    Philosophy Hons Dissertation
PHIL503      Epistemology: The Enlightenment and Beyond
PHIL505      Time and Other Metaphysical Topics
PHIL520      Continental Philosophy A: Nietzsche
PHIL522      Continental Philosophy B: Foucault
PHIL530      Elementary Logic
PHIL533      Professional Ethics in Contemporary Society
PHIL542      Ethical Theory
PHIL543      Aesthetics
PHIL563      Persons and Individuals
PHIL566      The Ethics of Environmentalism
PHIL575      Social Philosophy: Issues in Applied Ethics
PHIL585      Reason and Choice: Individual, Social, Political 

Careers

Philosophy provides students with the ability to think critically, a skill required more and more in the current labour market. Students with majors in Philosophy are in demand when generic intellectual ability is called for by employers.

Philosophy is a worthwhile component of any Arts degree.

Partnerships, Networks and Industry Links

Language and Cognition Research Cluster

Australasian Association of Philosophy

Research

Senior members of the discipline are experienced researchers with good records of scholarly publication. While each member has specific areas of interest and expertise they are more than adequately qualified to supervise thesis work in all the main areas of philosophical study. They are:

Dr Arcady Blinov
Philosophy of language, analytical theory of actions, logical semantics, philosophy of mind

Dr Tony Lynch
Moral and political philosophy, philosophy of psychology; environmentalism

Dr William McDonald
Philosophy of language,discourse theory, continental philosophy 19th/20th century

Assoc Prof Adrian Walsh
Political philosophy; applied ethics, ethics

The Discipline's research covers such diverse areas as personal identity, time, hermeneutics, bioethics, environmental ethics, meta-ethics, the philosophies of: the social sciences/ religion/language/mind, moral philosophy, political philosophy, scientific method, metaphysics, philosophy of physics, philosophy and literature, continental philosophy, axiology, epistemology, the literary study of religious texts and feminist theory.

Contacts

Enquiries about studying Philosophy at UNE can be made to:


Associate Professor Adrian Walsh
awalsh@une.edu.au
Ph: +61-2-6773 2657
Fax: +61-2-6773 2748

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