Philosophy
The Philosophy programme examines the nature of reality and the mind, ethical and artistic value, the structure of logical arguments—and the meaning of life.
Major in thinking—study Philosophy
Some of our courses are of particular interest to students studying psychology, politics, law, science, or media studies.
Philosophy students develop critical thinking skills—they learn to analyse arguments, write clearly, solve problems, and think creatively. These add value to other areas of study and are skills that are sought after by employers.
Philosophy staff
Find contact details for our Philosophy staff, along with links to their individual academic profile pages.
Philosophy courses
Explore courses in Philosophy offered at Victoria University of Wellington.
Undergraduate Philosophy
Consider the big philosophical questions and the structure of logical arguments—while learning to develop and defend your own philosophical ideas.
Postgraduate Philosophy
Discover the range of postgraduate Philosophy options.
Postgraduate students
Find out about the work being done by our Philosophy students at postgraduate level, including their thesis topics and supervisors.
Philosophy prizes and scholarships
Find out about prizes and scholarships available to students of Philosophy at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Equity and Philosophy at the University
Find out about the support for underrepresented groups in Philosophy, and the University's Women in Philosophy group.
Philosophy research
Find out more about Philosophy staff research interests and publications, and access resources to help Philosophy students' research.
Careers in Philosophy
The ability to question and to think, nurtured through the study of Philosophy, is increasingly sought after in high growth sectors such as technology.
Studying Philosophy in Wellington
Philosophers explore the nature of argument and justification and examine the rational basis of belief in all areas of enquiry. Philosophers seek to answer questions like “What things exist?”, “Is there a single truth about what's right and wrong?”, “What can we know for sure?”, and "Is there a god?"
The literal meaning of the word ‘philosopher’ is ‘lover of wisdom’. However, Philosophy is also about the love of critical and creative thinking, intelligent discussion, and cogent argument. These are skills that can be applied to almost any issue in almost any context.
Creative, critical, and cogent thinking
Philosophy courses are an important component of any degree at our university. Since creative, critical, and cogent thinking is fundamental to every subject, the concepts and methods of contemporary philosophy can be useful for students majoring in most other fields. Philosophy gives you a competitive academic edge and enhances the overall quality of your degree.
Links to other disciplines
The Philosophy programme at the University has strong links to other disciplines outside the School, including connections with computing and mathematics through logic; with science through the philosophy of biology, and ethics and genetics; and with art and art history through the philosophy of art.
Research strengths
Philosophy staff at the University are engaged in research across a large range of topics within Philosophy. We have particular strengths in logic, ethics, metaphysics, aesthetics, and philosophy of biology. Logic is reflected in a range of Philosophy postgraduate offerings: BA(Hons), MA, and PhD degrees in Logic or Logic and Computation.