History and Philosophy (V1V5)

What sort of knowledge is historical knowledge? How far are the ways in which we reflect on the world and understand it a product of the particular history of western culture? Has western philosophy,
whether as practiced by the Ancient Greeks, the Renaissance, or the Enlightenment profoundly shaped the way in which western society has developed? Or should we understand philosophical ideas as merely reflecting the world in which they are developed, rather than playing a leading role in changing it?

One way of thinking about philosophy, first articulated by Plato, is that it is a way of transcending the historically contingent world. In contrast, Hegel talks of philosophy painting its grey in grey – as the outcome and expression of distinctive historical processes. Between them they sketch a continuum of ways of thinking about ways of understanding the relationship between history and philosophy.

You’ll be taught by staff from both departments. Core first-year History modules will introduce you to the study of modern history in a global context and help you develop research skills, while Philosophy modules examine Descartes and Mill, logic and scientific method. In subsequent years you will have a wide range of choice from across the curriculum of both Departments, with a single compulsory module in the second year examining changing ideas of the relationship between philosophy and history.

Current History options examine topics such as American historical cinema, gender, madness and conflict. Philosophy options available to current students include Origins of Mind, Crime and Punishment, and Metaphysics. You may complete an optional dissertation in your third year in a topic of your choice related to either subject.