Philosophy

Philosophy at Oxford is not studied in a single-subject first degree course, but instead may be studied as one part of ‘joint’ degree courses, combined with one or two other subjects. There are seven such Joint Honour Schools, and Magdalen accepts students for all but one of these. For Philosophy, Politics and Economics (‘PPE’) the college currently accepts up to 10 students per year. Between 5 and 8 students a year are accepted for Classics. Up to 3 are accepted for Philosophy with Psychology and/or Physiology. In addition, in a typical year about 3 students in total are accepted for the smaller Schools of Philosophy and Modern Languages, Physics and Philosophy, and Mathematics and Philosophy.

In all of these Joint Honour Schools, the extent of concentration on Philosophy is left open to student choice. In PPE and Classics, it is possible after the first public examination to decide not to study philosophy further at all. At the other extreme, it may make up 5 out of 8 papers in the Final Examination. In the other Schools, between 3 and 5 of the 8 final papers may be in philosophy. In the 4-year courses (Maths and Philosophy and Physics and Philosophy), students in their 4th year may choose to do any number from none to all of the 4 papers taken. In all of these Schools, a thesis may be substituted for one final examination paper.

In all Schools except Classics, those in the first year study a foundation paper with three parts. One part is entitled General Philosophy, and deals with central questions in metaphysics and the theory of knowledge. A second is called Moral Philosophy, and is centred around J.S. Mill’s Utilitarianism and an assessment of the issues raised by it. The third part is an introduction to Formal Logic. In Classics there is a choice between one of these options and a paper in ancient philosophy (Early Greek Philosophy, Plato, or Lucretius). For Final Examinations (studied for in the second and third years) there is a very wide choice of papers which may be studied.

Most Joint Schools have bridging papers that are designed to connect Philosophy with the other subject. The paper in Philosophy of Mathematics is compulsory for those doing the Maths and Philosophy course, and likewise a paper in Philosophy of Physics is compulsory for those studying Physics and Philosophy. Those who continue with Philosophy in PPE after the first year are required to take the Ethics paper, and those who continue with it in Classics must take a paper in Ancient Philosophy. For Philosophy and Psychology, the paper in the Philosophy of Mind is not strictly a requirement, but it is very strongly recommended.

The College currently has two Tutorial Fellows in Philosophy. The Senior Philosophy Tutor is Dr Ralph Walker; his research interests and teaching specialisms are wide, including ancient philosophy (Plato and Aristotle), history of modern philosophy, especially the German philosopher Kant (on whom he has published 2 books and many articles), metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion. Dr Lizzie Fricker’s research interests are in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and theory of knowledge. Her current research is on knowledge acquired through the spoken or written word, on which she has published articles and is preparing a book. She is also a specialist in the later philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Both tutors regularly teach all of the ‘core’ papers in History of Philosophy, Ethics and ‘Knowledge and Reality’, and also the optional papers in their own specialist areas.

In the first year students are usually taught in small classes of 3 or 4, since we find this encourages discussion both in and beyond the tutorial, which is very beneficial in developing skills and enthusiasm, as well as comradeship, at this stage. ‘Core’ finals papers are usually taught in a mixture of small classes and individual tutorials. Optional papers are often taught in single tutorials, since this is appropriate to students at a more advanced stage, who are capable of sustaining a discussion on their own and can benefit from focus on their own distinctive line of thought on a subject.

Entry procedures

Written Work

Candidates are asked to submit written work in advance of interview. Normally two essays are expected, but the requirement varies slightly depending on the subject or subjects you want to study along with Philosophy. The exact requirements are as follows:

Mathematics and Philosophy: Two essays; preferably at least one should be on a general humanities topic.

Philosophy and Modern Languages: No written work is required for Philosophy, but for Modern Languages candidates are asked to supply two pieces of school or college written work (preferably of different kinds) for the languages they are currently studying. One piece of work should be written in the language they wish to study at Oxford.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics: No written work is required.

Physics and Philosophy: Two essays, of which at least one should be on a general humanities topic.

Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology: Two essays, of which at least one should be on a general humanities topic, if applying to study Philosophy as part of PPP.

We would like you to send three copies of each piece of work directly to Magdalen College, c/o Tutor for Admissions, by the 10th November. The copies should be secured with a paperclip only and have a completed cover sheet.

Written tests

Those who are called for interview will be given a short written test. The nature of the test varies from subject to subject, and the details are given below. Where written tests in Philosophy are required, they are designed to test analytical skill and intelligence. No knowledge of Philosophy is presupposed. No preparation is required or appropriate. The requirements are as follows:

Mathematics and Philosophy: No test in Philosophy. All candidates for Mathematics and the joint schools will be required to take an Aptitude Test of mathematical and analytical skills on Wednesday 4 November 2009, which will be taken at the candidate's own school/college or approved test centre. Further details of the test can be seen on the departmental website: www.maths.ox.ac.uk.

Philosophy and Modern Languages: For Modern Languages, candidates will be required to sit a short written test (30 minutes) at interview; for further details see under Modern Languages. For Philosophy, candidates will sit a one-hour test at interview designed to offer an opportunity to demonstrate the capacity to reason analytically and to use language accurately.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics: For further details see under PPE.

Physics and Philosophy: No test in Philosophy. For Physics, all candidates will take the Physics Aptitude Test on 4 November 2009, normally at their own school/college or an approved test centre. For further details see the Physics Department website (http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/admissions/TFQs.htm).

Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology: Candidates are required to register for and to take the Oxford Thinking Skills Assessment. This test will take place on 4 November 2009 in the candidate's own school/college or approved test centre. Further information and a specimen paper can be found on the test website.

In all these subjects, conditional offers are usually AAA at A2 (or equivalent).

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