About Philosophy, BA (Hons) - at Trinity College Dublin
Single honor and TSM students follow the same philosophy courses. However, while TSM students cover all the principal areas of philosophy, the workload is half that of the single honor programme.
What is philosophy?Although philosophy is not taught at second level, you may already have come into contact with it. 'Is there any good reason to believe in God?', 'Is democracy really the best form of government?', or 'To what extent can we know the way things really are?' are just three examples of the sorts of questions philosophers try to answer.
The aim of the moderatorship in philosophy is to allow you to develop the ability to reason lucidly, express views clearly and support claims coherently. You will also be introduced to the important ideas of the ancient and modern philosophers who have helped to shape western culture.
Is this the right course for me?As a participant on this course you will be expected to develop professional precision in your thinking. You must be prepared to question your own basic assumptions and to learn how to articulate and support points of view carefully. Furthermore, you must be willing to develop originality and creativity in your way of thinking and to use that skill to contribute to sophisticated discussion regarding morality, knowledge, reality, politics, aesthetics, and religion.
Course contentThe course moves from a general introductory year through to in-depth specialisations in the final year. Students follow set courses in the Freshman (first two) years but there is a greater degree of choice and specialisation thereafter. Although classes in the first two years tend to be quite large, there are regular tutorials which allow for more informal contact in a small group setting. In the Senior Sophister (fourth) year, staff and visiting scholars teach their current research projects in small group seminars. You will be required to write a thesis.
