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Philosophy has been taught at Aberdeen since King's College was founded in 1495. Many distinguished philosophers have taught here, including Thomas Reid, the founder and leading member of the eighteenth-century Scottish school of Common Sense Philosophy, who had a European reputation in his own lifetime and now is studied throughout the world; and Alexander Bain, in the late nineteenth century, whose studies in the philosophy of mind helped to lay the foundations for modern scientific psychology.
The department is lively and active in carrying on this tradition of teaching and research. Its members' interests cover a wide range of philosophical areas. There are currently nine permanent members of staff in the department. There are about 250 undergraduate students, of whom 50 do Honours.
The department of philosophy is housed in the Old Brewery in the heart of the Old Aberdeen campus. The department aims to provide challenging courses, taught to the very highest standards, in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere.
Visit the relevant Web pages for more information on either Undergraduate or Postgraduate Studies.
Philosophy tries to find answers to some of the deepest questions about ourselves as human beings and the world that we live in - questions which most thinking people have always asked, although the form which they take varies from one age to another.
Some examples of philosophical questions are:
Philosophers consider these and similar questions: they study and try to understand what the great philosophers of the past have to say about them, but they also try to think for themselves, taking into account, where appropriate, modern developments in other fields. For example, developments in computing and artificial intelligence raise the age-old question of the nature of human thought in new forms. Developments in medical technology force us to think in new ways about the ancient questions of moral philosophy and so on. Philosophers often work with specialists in other fields in considering such questions. Philosophy is always changing, and is always pressing against the outer limits of human thought. That is what makes it such an exciting subject to study.
Philosophers have always sought to rely on the unaided power of human thought, making as few assumptions as possible. Teaching philosophy, therefore, is a matter of teaching students to use their own minds, to reason and argue rather than simply asserting things dogmatically or taking for granted what other people say. When we study the classics of philosophy, we do so in order to assess the author's arguments and see what we can learn from them in helping our own thinking. Courses in philosophy always also include a more direct approach to the problems, in which students learn to construct their own arguments and come to their own conclusions.
The emphasis, in teaching and assessment, is always more on the ability to argue than on the conclusions. This ability to argue is not only expressed in the ability to present positive arguments for one's own position but also in the ability to consider fairly but critically arguments for other positions. Teaching, especially in the later years, includes an important element of tutorial and seminar discussion, in which students are encouraged to take an active part.
Please contact the School Office:
Phone: 01224 272380
Fax: 01224 273750
E-mail: philosophy@abdn.ac.uk
You will find the e-mail addresses of other members of staff listed on our staff list.
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| Main Page | About
| Staff | Undergraduate
Pages | Postgraduate
Pages
Research |
Events | Scottish Philosophy
| Contact
Philosophy, School of Philosophy, Divinity and Religious Studies
University of Aberdeen · Old Brewery · High Street · Aberdeen · AB24 3UB
Phone: 01224 272380 Fax: 01224 273750 email: philosophy@abdn.ac.uk
This page was last updated on
Friday, 22-Jan-2010 16:25:27 GMT
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