BA Philosophy Syllabus, Subjects, 1st Year, Entrance Exam, Books, Projects

Q: What is the root of Philosophy?

The word comes from the greek roots Philo means love and Sophos, or wisdom. Philosophy is the study of understanding how and why people do certain things and how to live a good life.

Sounak Banerjee

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BA Philosophy course is a 3 years duration and generally, each academic year is divided into two semesters. The undergraduate course for philosophy is designed in a way that includes both Indian and Western Philosophy which form part of core courses. Apart from the core courses, students also have to study a minimum of two concurrent courses out of which at least one is a language paper.

BA Philosophy Course Details	BA Admission Process

Philosophy is the study related to existence, reason, knowledge,mind. Philosophy is the guiding compass of life. Philosophy teaches us the techniques and methods to find meaning and live a virtuous life. The course teaching methods include lectures, seminars, group and solo presentations, classroom discussions, etc.

See Also: Philosophy Courses

BA Philosophy Admission takes place through both merit base and entrance exam. BA Philosophy entrance exams are CUET, TISS BAT, NPAT etc.

Table of content

BA Philosophy Course Details
BA Philosphy Semester Wise Syllabus
BA Philosophy Subjects
What is Philosophy?
BA BA Philosophy Entrance Exams
BA Hons Philosophy Syllabus
IGNOU BA Philosophy Syllabus
BA Philosophy Course Structure

8.1 Teaching Methods

8.2 Projects

8.3 Stoicism

BA Philosophy Books
BA Philosophy Syllabus: FAQs

BA Philosphy Course Detail

BA Philosophy Full Form	Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
BA Philosophy Duration	3 years
BA Philosophy Degree	Bachelors
BA Philosophy Average Fees	INR 5000 - 1 LPA
Eligibility	10+2 (minimum 50% marks )and relaxation to SC/ST/OBC
Job Positions	Teacher, Content Writer, Public Service, Journalist, Social Worker, etc
Average Salary	INR 5.74 LPA [Source: Glassdoor]
BA Philosophy Job Opportunities	Teaching, Creative Writing, Editing and Publishing, Mediation, Public Relations and Journalism, Philosophical Counselling/Philosophical Practice,
Top Recruiters	Axis Bank, CAPGEMINI, United Airlines, Axis Bank, Kotak Securities, etc.

BA Philosphy Semester Wise Syllabus

Semester 1	Semester 2
Logic Ethics	Ethics
Basic Logical Concepts	The Fundamental Questions of Ethics
Symbolic Logic	Virtue Ethics: Aristotle
Informal Fallacies	Nishkama Karma (Bhagavadgita)
-	Non-Violence (M.K. Gandhi)
Semester 3	Semester 4
Indian Philosophy	Western Philosophy
Inductive Logic	Plato: Knowledge and Opinion
Logic	Spinoza: Substance
Theories of Causation	Leibnitz : Theory of Monads
Theories of Reality	Hume: Theory of Causation
Semester 5	Semester 6
Indian Logic and Epistemology	Vedic System of Values
Philosophy of Language	Concept of Man and Humanity
Epistemology and Metaphysics (Western)	Purusharthas
Ethics and Philosophy of Religion	Nature of Svadharma
Optional Paper	Varnashrama Dharma

BA Philosophy Subjects

Indian Philosophy: This will cover topics like Emphasis on Karma (Action), Jnana (Knowledge) and Bhakti (devotion): An Understanding of different Indian Philosophical SchoolsIt also covers general characteristics of Indian Philosophy. This will provide you exposure to various Indian Philosophical texts.
Indian Metaphysics (Tattva Vicara): Students will learn about Indian Materialism: Carvaka, Purva Mimamsha theory of Karma (Apurva), Jaina Anekantavada(Relativistic pluralism), Four Noble Truths (catvariaryasatyani) and Doctrine of Dependent Origination (Pratityasamutpada).
Logic: This is a very interesting topic that includes how to make an argument, Deduction and Induction, and Aristotelian Logic. This Logic course will help the students to develop an understanding of the basic concepts of logic and language as well as familiarity with precise models of deductive reasoning.
Aristotelian Logic: It includes Categorical Propositions, Validating / Invaliditing Categorical Syllogisms through syllogistic rules & fallacies,Special rules for each figure, Venn Diagram technique for testing Syllogism.
Ethics in the Public Domain: This will help students how to develop an ethical perspective on socio-political and economic issues. You will get ethical awareness to become a responsible member of society.
Greek philosophy: This will enhance student knowledge of the origin of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. It includes the study of natural philosophers like Thales, Heraclitus, Socrates, and Plato’s theory of virtue and Form.
Western Philosophy- Descartes to Kant: It starts with Descartes’ seminal views on epistemology and metaphysics. It deals with the questions that we always think about and help us by expounding theories that have broadened the base of human understanding and thinking abilities.

What is Philosophy?

Philosophy consists of three major branches which are Metaphysics, Epistemology and Ethics.

Topics	Details
Metaphysics	It refers to what is true about existence. It includes cosmology(the study of the world in its entirety), Ontology (the study of being) and philosophy of time and space.
Epistemology	It teaches us a reason, logic, economics and psychology and other theory of knowledge to have a better understanding of life. This deals with investigating questions regarding truth, beliefs and rationality.
Ethics	It teaches us which actions we must take as the result of our knowledge. it comprises of human rights, the treatment of animals, democracy, and the environment.

BA Philosophy Entrance Exam Syllabus

Test	No. of Questions	Time in Minutes	Weightage for final Score
Quantitative & Numerical ability	40	100	40
Reasoning & General Intelligence	40		40
Proficiency in English Language	40		20
Total	120	100	100

BA Hons Philosophy DU syllabus

B.A (Hons) Philosophy Programme helps students to develop the ability critical thinking, Analytical thinking and logical thinking and Students can use philosophical reasoning to expand their thinking and use them in their everyday life.

Indian Philosophy	Critical thinking & Decision Making (SEC 1)
Greek Philosophy	Art & Film Appreciation
Western Philosophy: Descartes to Kant	Philosophy of Mind
Social and Political Philosophy	Philosophy of Science
Text of Indian Philosophy	Philosophy of Law
Text of Western Philosophy	Indian Materialism
Truth Functional Logic	Feminism
Analytic Philosophy	Indian Theories of Consciousness
Continental Philosophy	Aesthetics
Philosophy of Religion (Indian & Western)	Knowledge and Skepticism
Philosophy of Language (Indian & Western)	Philosophy of Logic

IGNOU BA Philosophy Syllabus

IGNOU BPY 1 Study Material (Indian Philosophy: Part I)	IGNOU BPY 2 Study Material (Logic: Classical and Symbolic)
Introduction to Indian Philosophy	Nature of Logic
Upanishads-I	Reasoning
Upanishads-II	Symbolic Logic: Statements
Heterodox Systems	Symbolic Logic: Arguments
IGNOU BPY 3 Study Material (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy)	IGNOU BPY 4 Study Material (Religious of the World)
Introduction to Philosophy	Introduction to Religion
Greek Philosophy: Early Philosophers	Religions of Indian Origin
Greek Philosophy: Classical Period	Religions of Middle-East Origin
Medieval Philosophy	Other Religions
IGNOU BPY 5 Study Material (Indian Philosophy: Part II)	IGNOU BPY 6 Study Material (Metaphysics)
Orthodox Systems-1	Definition and Nature Of Metaphysics
Orthodox Systems-2	Metaphysical Structure of Finite Being
Indian Philosophical Movements	Metaphysical Nature of Finite Being
Contemporary Indian Thinkers	Notion of Being
IGNOU BPY 7 Study Material (Ethics)	IGNOU BPY 8 Study Material (Modern Western Philosophy)
Perspectives in Ethics -Western	Renaissance and Enlightenment
Perspectives in Ethics –Indian	Rationalism
Moral Consciousness	Empiricism
Social Ethics	Idealism and Positivism
IGNOU BPY 9 Study Material (Contemporary Western Philosophy)	IGNOU BPY 10 Study Material (Epistemology)
Foundations of Contemporary Philosophy	Introduction
Early Continental Philosophy	Sources of Belief
Later Continental Philosophy	Methods and Justification of Knowledge
Analytical Philosophy	The Knowing Subject
IGNOU BPY 11 Study Material (Philosophy of Human Person)	IGNOU BPY 12 Study Material (Philosophy of Science and Cosmology)
Approaches to the Study of Human Person	Pre-Copernican Philosophy of Science and Cosmology
Origin and End of Human Person	Mechanical Philosophy of Nature
Nature of Human Person	Contemporary Philosophy of Science
Human Person and Society	Contemporary Philosophy of Nature/Cosmology
IGNOU BPYE 1 Study Material (Philosophy of Religion)	IGNOU BPYE 2 Study Material (Tribal and Dalit Philosophy)
Nature and Origin of Religion	The Story of the Tribals
Problem of Affirming God’s Existence	The Philosophy of the Tribals
Religious Language and Religious Experience	The Story of Dalits
Religious Pluralism and Post-Modern Trends	The Philosophy of Dalits

BA Philosophy Course structure

The BA philosophy course is designed in a more student-centric manner. This course is structured to increase students critical thinking, analytical thinking, and writing skills. Students will be able to develop excellent verbal and written communication skills through various activities like presentations, projects, quizzes,and seminars

The course structure consists of :

VI Semesters
Core Subjects
Elective Subjects
Research Projects

BA Philosophy Teaching Methodology and Techniques

The syllabus consists of various great philosophers and their great ideas and different perspectives which will broaden the thinking of students. It combines both traditional and modern approaches. Listed below are the teaching methodology and strategies that are used in BA Philosophy:

Lectures
Quizzes
Class tests and Assignments
Thesis
Research Papers
Projects
Seminars
Presentations
Group Discussions

BA Philosophy Projects

In the final semester students are expected to work on a research project. These projects aim to ensure that the students have a chance to learn about their specialization in detail about the course.

Some of the BA Philosophy projects examples of topics are listed below::

The Problems of Philosophy: Bertrand Russell
Western Logic
Ethics
Contemporary Indian Philosophy
Concept of Human Existence

Philosophy in the 21st century: Stoicism

The most popular thought system currently is Stoicism. The most important idea of stoic philosophy is to differentiate between things we can change and things we cannot, things we have control over and things we can't control. The main idea is to focus on things that you can control. It’s an unwinnable battle to focus on things that you cannot control. It is a school of philosophy founded in Athens around 300 B.C.

As Marcus Aurelius said “ You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. The important takeaways from stoicism to live a better life are:

It's not the events that upset you but your opinions about the events.
Nothing is good or bad, valuable or miserable in itself, it is our assumptions, beliefs and thought patterns that colour the world around us. our perception hurts us more than the things and situations themselves.
Accept all things beyond our control and focus on what you can control
Amor Fati - Love everything that happen

BA Philosophy Books

Books	Author
A Critical History of Greek Philosophy	W.T. Stace
A History of Philosophy	Frank Thilly
An IntroductiontoIndian Philosophy	S.C Chatterjee and D.M Dutta
An Introduction to Logic and Scientific method.	Morris R. Cohen and Emest Nagel
Practical Ethics.	Peter Singer
A Critical History of Western Philosophy	Y. Masih
Philosophy of Religion.	John Hick

BA Philosophy Syllabus: FAQs

Ques. Is Philosophy good for BA?

Ans. Graduates in BA Philosophy can find jobs in public, private and non-profit sectors. You can get opportunities in art-based areas, advertising, media, teaching, IT and journalism.

Ques. How many subjects are there in Philosophy?

Ans. Philosophy is divided into four pillars: theoretical (metaphysics and epistemology), practical philosophy (ethics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics), history of philosophy and logic.

Ques. Is philosophy a good degree?

Ans. By studying philosophy you can get to learn so many useful skills such as making logical arguments, explaining ideas clearly in oral and written manner and most importantly looking at things from multiple perspectives.

Ques. Who are the 7 philosophers?

Ans. Seven philosophers are Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Leibniz, Kant and Descartes are famous in modern philosophy. They are responsible for shaping philosophy.

Ques. Who founded philosophy?

Ans. Thales who was an astronomer and mathematician was considered by Aristotle to be the first philosopher in the Greek tradition.

Ques. What philosophy means?

Ans. It means love of wisdom. Philosophy is an activity to understand ourselves, the world and our relationship with the world and with each other.

Ques. Is there a Ph.D. in philosophy?

Ans. by pursuing a Ph.D. in philosophy students can either go for research or teaching philosophy. All students are required to complete the equivalent of an undergraduate major in philosophy with a strong grade point average.

Ques. What is the difference between psychology and philosophy?

Ans. Psychology is the study of the human mind and its behavior in a social context. And philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence

Ques. What is the root of Philosophy?

Ans. The word comes from the greek roots Philo means “love” and Sophos, or “wisdom”. Philosophy is the study of understanding how and why people do certain things and how to live a good life.

Ques. Who is the most famous philosopher?

Ans. Aristotle is the most famous philosopher and is importantly the most important thinker who ever lived.