Philosophy Optional Syllabus – UPSC Mains
Philosophy Optional Paper – I → History and Problems of Philosophy
| Plato and Aristotle | Ideas; Substance; Form and Matter; Causation; Actuality and Potentiality |
| Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz) | Cartesian Method and Certain Knowledge; Substance; God; Mind-Body Dualism; Determinism and Freedom |
| Empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume) | Theory of Knowledge; Substance and Qualities; Self and God; Scepticism |
| Kant | Possibility of Synthetic a priori Judgments; Space and Time; Categories; Ideas of Reason; Antinomies; Critique of Proofs for the Existence of God |
| Hegel | Dialectical Method; Absolute Idealism |
| Moore, Russell and Early Wittgenstein | Defence of Commonsense; Refutation of Idealism; Logical Atomism; Logical Constructions; Incomplete Symbols; Picture Theory of Meaning; Saying and Showing |
| Logical Positivism | Verification Theory of Meaning; Rejection of Metaphysics; Linguistic Theory of Necessary Propositions |
| Later Wittgenstein | Meaning and Use; Language-games; Critique of Private Language |
| Phenomenology (Husserl) | Method; Theory of Essences; Avoidance of Psychologism |
| Existentialism (Kierkegaard, Sartre, Heidegger) | Existence and Essence; Choice, Responsibility and Authentic Existence; Being-in-the –world and Temporality |
| Quine and Strawson | Critique of Empiricism; Theory of Basic Particulars and Persons |
| Cârvâka | Theory of Knowledge; Rejection of Transcendent Entities |
| Jainism | Theory of Reality; Saptabhaòginaya; Bondage and Liberation |
| Schools of Buddhism | Pratîtyasamutpâda; Ksanikavada, Nairâtmyavâda |
| Nyâya- Vaiúesika | Theory of Categories; Theory of Appearance; Theory of Pramâna; Self, Liberation; God; Proofs for the Existence of God; Theory of Causation; Atomistic Theory of Creation |
| Sâmkhya | Prakrti; Purusa; Causation; Liberation |
| Yoga | Citta; Cittavrtti; Klesas; Samadhi; Kaivalya |
| Mimâmsâ | Theory of Knowledge |
| Schools of Vedânta | Brahman; Îúvara; Âtman; Jiva; Jagat; Mâyâ; Avidyâ; Adhyâsa; Moksa; Aprthaksiddhi; Pancavidhabheda |
| Aurobindo | Evolution, Involution; Integral Yoga |
Click Here – Book For Philosophy Optional Paper – 1
Philosophy Optional Paper – II
Socio-Political Philosophy
- Social and Political Ideals → Equality, Justice, Liberty.
- Sovereignty → Austin, Bodin, Laski, Kautilya.
- Individual and State → Rights; Duties and Accountability.
- Forms of Government → Monarchy; Theocracy and Democracy.
- Political Ideologies → Anarchism; Marxism and Socialism.
- Humanism; Secularism; Multiculturalism.
- Crime and Punishment → Corruption, Mass Violence, Genocide, Capital Punishment.
- Development and Social Progress.
- Gender Discrimination → Female Foeticide, Land and Property Rights; Empowernment.
- Caste Discrimination → Gandhi and Ambedkar
Philosophy of Religion
- Notions of God → Attributes; Relation to Man and the World (Indian and Western).
- Proofs for the Existence of God and their Critique (Indian and Western).
- Problem of Evil.
- Soul → Immortality; Rebirth and Liberation.
- Reason, Revelation and Faith.
- Religious Experience → Nature and Object (Indian and Western).
- Religion without God.
- Religion and Morality.
- Religious Pluralism and the Problem of Absolute Truth.
- Nature of Religious Language → Analogical and Symbolic; Cognitivist and Noncognitive.
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