Teaching Program
Philosophers often focus on different questions than are addressed by other researchers.
In particular, philosophers often attempt to find out the truth about the foundations of our knowledge or our practices. Some of the most important philosophical questions to have been studied are:
- What is the nature of consciousness? Could a machine be conscious?
- Is there an objective basis to ethics and morality?
- Is there a rational argument for or against the existence of God?
- What is knowledge, and when should we change our beliefs about the world?
- How should society’s limited resources be distributed?
- Is beauty objective or merely a matter of taste?
Philosophers use methods and approaches that often differ from other disciplines. Philosophers are interested in providing the strongest possible arguments for their views. Sometimes they use techniques borrowed from formal logic to help formulate their ideas.
Some philosophers work closely with scientists in empirical disciplines such as psychology or neuroscience, others focus on historical approaches, and others draw inspiration from art and literature.
In all cases, philosophers are careful to make their reasoning and methods obvious, which explains why studying philosophy helps develop critical reasoning skills.
Our teaching approach creates pathways for students to progress from an undergraduate interest in Philosophy, to pursuing the discipline through Honours, and then graduate research.
For details, see: