Metaphysical questions apply to everything you can think of: natural objects, living organisms, human beings, human artefacts, imaginary objects, abstract entities, timeless universals, and supernatural phenomena. You'll consider up-to-date versions of classical metaphysical problems by analysing interesting contemporary arguments and identifying a breadth of examples of that are relevant to the world around us. Sensitively exploring different perspectives and sharing ideas will help us notice how fundamental metaphysical perspectives are often the basis of deep disagreements in ethics, aesthetics, and religious belief, particularly when the metaphysics of the mind, body and self are in question.

Examine whether, and how, science is different from other modes of investigating and thinking about the world. You'll study relevant contemporary controversies (e.g. the relation between science and religion, and creationism, as well as other alternative world views), the exclusionary nature of many of its technological fruits, and the contingency of the Western model of science.

Philosophical ideas are at the heart of everyday life, and often in surprising ways. Examine how philosophical theories, from ancient through medieval texts, and through the enlightenment to the current day, have not just shaped and influenced the world we live in. but radically challenged prevailing ways of thinking and the corresponding ways of life. 

This module examines one of the central issues in philosophy – what it is to know something. We will distinguish knowledge from mere opinion and critically evaluate common views about where knowledge comes from, what it is based on and how it is justified. We will give particular focus to the ways in which knowledge, and claims to knowledge, are culturally shaped and informed, and so how traditions, perspectives and social structures influence our views about knowledge. 

In this module you will begin to formally develop a key set of philosophical skills – competence in logical reasoning and the ability to distinguish good from bad arguments. Week by week you'll work through case-studies, applying logical and argumentative theory and reasoning towards well-thought through responses and conclusions. 

You'll explore traditional topics in philosophy through contemporary authors and everyday perspectives. For instance, you'll examine what constitutes ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sex and explore the nature and limitations of notions of consent; critique the Aristotelian concept of friendship in the era of vicarious, internet friendships and social media; and analyse Cartesian scepticism through the prism of ‘race’. 

What is it to be minded? What is it to be a person? You'll consider the relation of the mind to the body, explore what being conscious or embodied means and examine the place of mindedness in a natural world apparently devoid of its attributes.

The history of political thought provides us with experiences of a wealth of perspectives on issues that still occupy central places in human life: the role of power in our collective relationships; the duties of the citizen and the obligations of the state; what it means to be free or equal or oppressed. This module explores some of the most influential and challenging positions from ancient Greek times to the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The module explores the feminist thinkers and others who were and are viewed as radicals, as well as more moderate figures, whose influences remain today.

Building on the ‘Ideas that Shaped the World’ module from year one, you'll examine more demanding excerpts from four texts drawn from a wide range of philosophical traditions and cultures and with a particular focus on theories that revolutionised our way of life.