Philosophy

About this programme

From ethics and knowledge to consciousness and personal identity, BA Philosophy at Royal Holloway dives into life, society and how we understand the world. Tackle big questions with confidence and creativity. Philosophy gives us ways to tackle current issues like fake news, AI and mental health challenges. You’ll study ideas from ancient thinkers like Plato as well as modern debates around politics, reality and technology. Explore logic, ethics, freedom and what it means to live well. As well as practical topics like digital ethics, at Royal Holloway you’ll see how philosophy applies to other subjects. Modules in ancient philosophy, aesthetics and political philosophy take full advantage of academic expertise across the university. Our academic team includes published authors and media commentators. Graduates go on to careers in law, teaching, finance, marketing and postgraduate study, equipped with deep thinking and communication skills. We sometimes make changes to our courses to improve your experience. If this happens, we’ll let you know as soon as possible. The ‘new philosophy’ of the seventeenth century set the modern philosophical agenda by asking fundamental questions concerning knowledge and understanding and the relation between science and other human endeavours, which subsequently became central to the European Enlightenment. This module aims to familiarise you with the origins of empiricist and rationalist/idealist thought, focussing on the work of Descartes and Locke. The module will enable you to develop your close reading skills, and will give you the o