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UPSC Philosophy optional syllabus

Both papers of the UPSC Philosophy optional. Here it is in 14 topics and 56 subtopics you can study and tick off one at a time.

Papers
two, both in Mains
Marks
250 each, 500 in all
Time
3 hours each

Contents

Paper I

  1. Plato and Aristotle
  2. Rationalism and Empiricism
  3. Kant and Post-Kantian Philosophy
  4. Moral Philosophy
  5. Political Philosophy
  6. Phenomenology and Existentialism
  7. Logic
  8. Contemporary Western Philosophy

Paper II

  1. Indian Philosophy — Vedic and Upanishadic Thought
  2. Schools of Indian Philosophy
  3. Charvaka, Jaina and Bauddha Philosophy
  4. Concepts of Indian Philosophy
  5. Socio-Political Philosophy
  6. Philosophy of Religion

Paper I

Plato and Aristotle

  1. Plato — Theory of Forms, Knowledge and the Ideal State
  2. Aristotle — Substance, Form and Matter, Causation
  3. Aristotle — Actuality and Potentiality; Critique of Plato

Rationalism and Empiricism

  1. Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz
  2. Locke, Berkeley, Hume

Kant and Post-Kantian Philosophy

  1. Kant — Possibility of Synthetic A Priori Judgments
  2. Kant — Space, Time and Categories of Understanding
  3. Kant — Phenomena and Noumena; Critique of Speculative Metaphysics
  4. Hegel — Dialectical Method and Absolute Idealism

Moral Philosophy

  1. Ethical Theories — Consequentialism and Deontology
  2. Kant's Moral Philosophy — Duty and the Categorical Imperative
  3. Utilitarianism — Bentham and Mill
  4. Virtue Ethics and Care Ethics
  5. Applied Ethics — Environmental, Bio- and Media Ethics

Political Philosophy

  1. Social and Political Ideals — Equality, Justice, Liberty
  2. Sovereignty and the Theories of the State
  3. Forms of Government — Democracy, Monarchy, Theocracy
  4. Political Ideologies — Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Anarchism
  5. Humanism, Secularism and Multiculturalism

Phenomenology and Existentialism

  1. Husserl — Method, Theory of Essences, Intentionality
  2. Heidegger — Being, Dasein and Authenticity
  3. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche
  4. Sartre — Existence and Essence, Freedom and Responsibility
  5. Merleau-Ponty and the Embodied Subject

Logic

  1. Truth Functions and Propositional Logic
  2. Quantification and Predicate Logic
  3. Nature of Proposition; Classification and Truth
  4. Validity, Soundness and Formal Fallacies

Contemporary Western Philosophy

  1. Logical Positivism
  2. Analytic Philosophy

Paper II

Indian Philosophy — Vedic and Upanishadic Thought

  1. Vedic and Upanishadic World-Views
  2. Concepts of Rta, Brahman and Atman
  3. Doctrine of Karma and Rebirth
  4. Theories of Creation and the Nature of Reality

Schools of Indian Philosophy

  1. Nyaya — Pramanas, Theory of Knowledge and Causation
  2. Vaisesika — Categories and Atomism
  3. Samkhya — Prakriti, Purusa and Evolution
  4. Yoga — Citta, Vrtti and Kinds of Klesas
  5. Mimamsa — Theory of Knowledge and Validity of Vedas
  6. Vedanta — Advaita, Visistadvaita and Dvaita

Charvaka, Jaina and Bauddha Philosophy

  1. Charvaka — Materialism and Theory of Perception
  2. Jainism — Anekantavada, Syadvada and Saptabhanginaya
  3. Jainism — Jiva, Ajiva and Bondage and Liberation
  4. Buddhism — Four Noble Truths and Pratityasamutpada
  5. Buddhist Schools — Vaibhasika, Sautrantika, Yogacara, Madhyamika

Concepts of Indian Philosophy

  1. Pramana — Sources and Theories of Knowledge
  2. Theories of Causation across Schools
  3. Self, Bondage and Liberation — Comparative Views
  4. Language and Meaning in Indian Philosophy

Socio-Political Philosophy

  1. Dharma, Rna and Purusarthas
  2. Varnasrama, Individual and Society
  3. Gandhi — Truth, Non-Violence and Sarvodaya
  4. Ambedkar — Caste, Social Justice and Religion
  5. Sri Aurobindo, Tagore and Integral Humanism

Philosophy of Religion

  1. Concept of God
  2. Problem of Evil

This is Mented's breakdown of the official UPSC syllabus into study-sized subtopics. For the syllabus as notified, see the Civil Services Examination notice on upsc.gov.in.

Other optional subjects

← The full UPSC syllabus