Learning outcomes
By studing philosophy, students may support and supplement their other studies and interests in various ways. Generally, students will come to know philosophy (in the Western tradition) and understand its central research problems, concepts, and approaches. They will be capable of identifying and articulating philosophical assumptions also in non-philosophical contexts, such as texts in other academic disciplines and professional practices. They will develop their skills in critical and abstract thinking, and they will be capable of applying these skills to a number of issues, ranging from the nature of human beings and their societies to the nature of knowledge and being. Most importantly, they will develop their intellectual and moral character so that they will have the courage to stand up and defend their views and values with arguments. At the same time, they must stay aware of the limits of their own knowledge and competence, and they are committed to life-long learning and personal development.
Content
What is knowledge, justice or good life? What is meant by “being”? Philosophy approaches these questions and many others from a general and theoretical point of view. While any human being may find it necessary to reflect on these questions from time to time, the academic discipline of philosophy addresses them in a systematic way with the aim of formulating a thesis or a theory. In philosophy one is expected to formulate views as clearly and distinctly as possible, and to argue for or against them.
The academic discipline of philosophy consists of both theoretical and practical philosophy. Whereas theoretical philosophy is concerned with the nature of being, reasoning, and knowledge, practical philosophy is concerned with the nature of human action, culture, and society. Yet, to understand the complexity of philosophical problems, one needs to master the basics of both theoretical and practical philosophy. For this reason, the degree program in philosophy at the University of Tampere aims to provide a broad survey of philosophy, ranging from metaphysics, logic, and epistemology to ethics and social philosophy. Courses on the history of philosophy are a substantial part of the degree program because in philosophy, unlike in many other academic disciplines, knowledge of the history of the discipline is integral to understanding its key concepts and research problems.
Even though philosophy is a distinct academic discipline with its own tradition and research problems, many research problems in philosophy are closely connected to those in other academic disciplines. When philosophy of science aims to understand the nature of scientific knowledge, it not only studies conceptions of scientific knowledge in other academic disciplines but also draws on their theories and methods. Similarly, research in social philosophy informs and is informed by research in the social sciences. Also, philosophy of mind proceeds hand-in-hand with recent developments in psychology and cognitive science. Contemporary research on logic overlaps with mathematics and computer science. Yet, the history of logic, the so called philosophical logic, and philosophy of language have remained in the domain of philosophy. The degree program in philosophy at the University of Tampere includes courses on formal logic because formal logic is an essential part of a philosopher’s tool kit.
Evaluation
Numeric 1-5.Optional studies in Philosophy for other other degree programmes
Basic Studies in Philosophy 25 ECTS
Intermediate Studies 35–65 ECTS
Optional intermediate studies in Philosophy 10–40 ECTS