Philosophy
Contents
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:
Use 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
Graduate Diploma in Social Science
Master of Arts
Honours
Postgraduate Research
Master of Arts with Honours
Doctor of Philosophy
Units
PHIL101 Bioethics
PHIL102 Critical and Creative Reasoning
PHIL150 Introduction to Philosophy B: Introduction to Metaphysics
PHIL151 Introduction to Philosophy A: The Examined Life
PHIL303 Epistemology: The Enlightenment and Beyond
PHIL305 Space and Time
PHIL313 Philosophy of Religion: East and West
PHIL320 Continental Philosophy A: Nietzsche
PHIL322 Continental Philosophy B: Foucault
PHIL323 Philosophy of Social Science
PHIL330 Elementary Logic
PHIL342 Meta-ethics
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 Space and Time
PHIL513 Philosophy of Religion: East and West
PHIL520 Continental Philosophy A: Nietzsche
PHIL522 Continental Philosophy B: Foucault
PHIL530 Elementary Logic
PHIL542 Meta-ethics
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:
Professor Peter Forrest
Metaphysics; epistemology, philosophy of religion, philosophy of physics
Dr Frances Gray
Philosophy of Religion, Psycho-analysis Theory, Indian Metaphysics, Feminist Theory in Philosophy
Dr Tony Lynch
Moral and political philosophy, philosophy of psychology; environmentalism
Dr Arcady Blinov
Philosophy of language, analytical theory of actions, logical semantics, philosophy of mind
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
Help for Students You can find instant answers to many of your questions or contact UNE directly via AskUNE
Future Students may also call 1800 818 865 |
