The Department of Philosophy at Durham is one of six departments that make up the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. We are a pluralistic and friendly department, which accommodates work in 'analytic', 'Continental' and non-Western philosophical traditions. Current research by our staff and postgraduate students spans a notably diverse range of philosophical, historical and interdisciplinary topics. It is focused around the activities of five research groups/clusters:

• Aesthetics
• Applied Phenomenology
• Ethics
• History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine
• Mind, Language and Metaphysics

The department is home to several major research projects, funded by substantial grants from the AHRC, the European Research Council, Wellcome and other external bodies. We are also closely associated with various university research centres. Every year, we host numerous events, such as research seminars, Royal Institute of Philosophy Lectures, workshops and major conferences. So there is a constant stream of visitors to the department, and a vibrant atmosphere for teaching and research. Durham has one of the largest Philosophy postgraduate communities in the UK, with around fifty to sixty taught and research postgraduates studying here at any one time. All undergraduate and postgraduate students who join us are welcomed as full members of our research community, and can expect the very highest standard of education. In the 2013 Complete University Guide, we are ranked overall fifth in the UK, and fourth for graduate prospects. According to the 2013 Guardian University Guide, we are joint first in the UK for employability (with 76% of our graduates in graduate-level jobs or further study six months after graduation). In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 90% of our research was judged to be of international quality, with 55% internationally excellent or world-leading.

Postgraduate Study in 2013/14

You can now apply (online) to study in the next academic year. Please contact the PG admissions secretary (philosophy.pgsec@durham.ac.uk) for more information.

News

Nancy Cartwright and Julian Reiss joined the department in autumn 2012, to set up a new Centre for Humanities Engaging Science and Society (CHESS) which is broadly concerned with "Knowledge, Culture and the Public Good". In addition, Wendy Parker will join the Centre in May 2013. There will be a number of PhD studentships associated with the new Centre and we welcome enquiries from prospective applicants: philosophy.pgsec@durham.ac.uk

Congratulations to our students who participated in the London Games 2012. Lily van den Broecke, a PPE student at Durham, was Rowing Cox at the London 2012 Paralympics and won a Gold Medal. Follow this link for further information.

AT LEAST SIX FULLY FUNDED PhD STUDENTSHIPS IN 2013-14

Forthcoming events

Other events

Recent Books (since 2010)

• Andy Hamilton - Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Wittgenstein and On Certainty
• Julian Reiss - Philosophy of Economics: A Contemporary Introduction
• Peter Vickers - Understanding Inconsistent Science
• Nick Zangwill - Pure Music (forthcoming with Routledge)
• Nancy Cartwright (with Jeremy Hardie) - Evidence-Based Policy: A Practical Guide to Doing It Better
• Andy Hamilton and Nick Zangwill - Scruton's Aesthetics
• Robin Hendry (with P. Needham and A. Woody) - Philosophy of Chemistry
• Holger Maehle (with L. Sauerteig) - Sexology, Medical Ethics, and Occultism
• Elisabeth Schellekens (with P. Goldie) - The Aesthetic Mind
• Benedict Smith - Particularism and the Space of Moral Reasons
• Geoffrey Scarre - On Courage
• Jan Westerhoff - The Dispeller of Disputes: Nagarjuna's Vigrahavyavartani
• Jan Westerhoff - Twelve Examples of Illusion
• For a full list please click here