Course overview

BA Classics BA Philosophy, Politics & Economics BA Psychology & Philosophy BA Philosophy & Linguistics BA Philosophy & Modern Languages BA Philosophy & Theology BA/MMathPhil Mathematics & Philosophy BA/MPhysPhil Physics & Philosophy

The College admits undergraduates to read Philosophy as a component of the Classics and PPE courses, and in the various smaller Joint Schools.

Philosophy cannot be read as a single-subject course. For PPE Finals, Philosophy can be studied with either Politics or Economics, or both; those with strong philosophical leanings can take up to five papers in the subject. In Joint Schools candidates may also concentrate on Philosophy, the same wide range of Philosophy options as in PPE being available; the papers they are required to offer, however, vary from School to School.

In Literae Humaniores, Philosophy can be combined with Ancient History and/or Greek and Latin Literature. Again the full range of Philosophy options is available, and up to five can be taken. Candidates taking two or more options must study at least one ancient text.

Tutors

Hinton Fellow & Tutor in Philosophy

Dr Michail Peramatzis

Dr Michail Peramatzis

Hinton Fellow & Tutor in Philosophy

Clarendon Associate Professor of Philosophy

Education

BA MA (Athens), MA DPhil (Oxford)

Dr Peramatzis’ specialities are ancient philosophy, especially Aristotle’s metaphysics, logic and epistemology and Plato’s metaphysics and epistemology.

David Mitchell Fellow & Tutor in Philosophy

Dr Natalia Waights Hickman

Dr Natalia Waights Hickman

David Mitchell Fellow & Tutor in Philosophy

Associate Professor of Philosophy

Education

MA (Reading), MA DPhil (Oxford)

My work falls mainly within contemporary philosophy of language, epistemology and philosophy of action. Most of my research relates either to linguistic (especially semantic) knowledge or to practical knowledge and skill, and sometimes to connections between these. More broadly, my work engages with theories of normativity in relation to skill, factual knowledge, thought and reasoning, and linguistic communication. I also have a general interest in the work of Gilbert Ryle, especially his relatively neglected work on thinking and improvisation.

Headshot of Janine Guhler

College Lecturer in Philosophy

Dr Janine Gühler

Headshot of Janine Guhler

Dr Janine Gühler

College Lecturer in Philosophy

Education

MA (HU Berlin), PhD (St Andrews)

I studied Philosophy and Computer Science at the Humboldt University in Berlin and then moved to Scotland to pursue a PhD in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews. My doctoral studies were supported by PETAF (Perspectival Thoughts and Facts), as part of the FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network (European Commission Funding). I graduated with a thesis on Aristotle’s Philosophy of Mathematics under the supervision of Sarah Broadie and Katherine Hawley. In 2015, I moved to Oxford to start as a stipendiary lecturer in philosophy at Wadham and St Hilda’s Colleges while also maintaining a part-time position as “Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin” (≅ fixed-term lecturer) at Bonn University, Germany. My research focuses on the nature of mathematical objects in Aristotle and Plato, with a particular interest in how their views tie in with their more general views in epistemology and ontology.

Headshot of Theodor Nenu

College Lecturer in Philosophy

Dr Theodor Nenu

Headshot of Theodor Nenu

Dr Theodor Nenu

College Lecturer in Philosophy

Education

MCompPhil (Oxford), PhD (Bristol)

Applying

In selecting undergraduates to read Philosophy we are looking, above all, for people with enquiring and critical minds and with plenty of imagination; it does not matter whether students have studied philosophy before. The courses themselves involve wide reading, but the object is not to stock students’ minds with the teachings of great philosophers, but for them to learn to analyse the structure of philosophical arguments and to evaluate them.

Read more on the University website Faculty of Philosophy