Philosophy

What is right and wrong? How should we organise our societies? What is a good life? Is there a universal human nature? Is there one correct answer or several to these questions? And how can possibly know if the answer we have settled on is correct? In philosophy, we tackle the big questions in life, learn how to think about them in a stringent and critical manner, and learn about how smart people throughout human history have struggled to come up with answers to the same questions we all ask ourselves. 

What does it mean to know something?

Philosophy introduces the students to the central theories and schools of western philosophical thought. We explore philosophical questions within subjects such as morality (e.g. “Are there moral laws?”, “Are they objective or subjective”), epistemology (e.g. “What does it mean to know something?” “What, if anything, can we know with certainty?), political philosophy (e.g. “What is a just society?”, “What is the nature and limits of individuals’ obligations towards their community?), and philosophical anthropology (e.g. “Is there a universal human nature?”, “What is the relationship between our minds and our physical bodies?”).  

The study of philosophy teaches students to think critically, analyse and construct arguments, and to see connections between the everyday assumptions we make and their more remote theoretical and moral implications. In this way, students are prompted to examine and challenge their own basic assumptions and the intellectual and moral commitments that follow.  

In 2-period philosophy students receive a general introduction to core theories and subjects in the western philosophical tradition and discuss their relevance and influences on contemporary society.  

In 4-period philosophy, students receive a more expansive overview of the history of philosophy as well as in-depth examinations of a number of philosophical subjects/theories (chosen in collaboration with the students themselves). There is a greater focus on written work and students get a better opportunity to train and develop independent philosophical thinking. 4-period philosophy has no equivalent in the Danish system (STX) and presents a unique opportunity for inquisitive and intellectually ambitious students to make a deep dive into the most central texts of the western civilisation and hone their critical thinking and argumentative skills in the process. 

Teaching  

In S6, students are introduced to the following topics:  

• The history and historiography of ancient of ancient Greece, from the Bronze Age (1500BCE) and up to the end of the Hellenistic Age (30 BCE) 

• Greek art and architecture (focusing on architectural orders, pottery and sculpture) 

• Rhetoric 

• Greek mythology & epic poetry 

• Greek Philosophy 

• Greek Drama 

In S7, students choose from a selection of topical modules. Some examples are listed below: 

• Gender and sexuality in Ancient Athens 

• Mystery Cults & the Orphic Religion 

• Sophistry & Demagoguery in Democratic Athens 

• The Mutilation of the Herms (an ancient Greek crime story) 

• Tragedy and the Polis 

• Art and Ideology in Classical Athens 

Exam 

If you have chosen the 2p-course, you will sit two 90-minute tests in S6 and two 90-minute exams in S7. You can choose Philosophy 2p as an oral exam. The oral exam is 20 minutes preparation followed by 20 minutes examination. 

If you have chosen the 4p-course, you will sit a B-test in the autumn semester of S6 in a format chosen by the teacher. At the end of S6, you will sit a written test.  

In S7, you will sit a pre-baccalaureate exam (4 hours) in January. You can choose to sit Philosophy 4p as a written exam or as an oral exam or not at all for the summer examinations.