Philosophy is popular among students, the 48 optional subjects listed by UPSC for the IAS Exam. Philosophy is one of the optional subjects in the UPSC mains examination, covering topics such as the history and evolution of philosophy, religion and social structures.
Philosophy is regarded as one of the top 10 most challenging subjects in the UPSC exam. Despite its difficulty, many students opt for Philosophy as their optional subject because the syllabus is known to be scoring. The UPSC Philosophy syllabus includes two papers, Optional Paper I and Paper II, as part of the Mains stage of the IAS Exam, which comprises a total of nine papers. Below, we provide a detailed discussion of the Philosophy optional syllabus for the Mains exam.
Choosing Philosophy as an optional subject for the UPSC Mains exam is ideal for candidates with strong skills and a passion for the field. Numerous books are available for students to prepare for the UPSC Philosophy optional subject.
Students need to answer five questions out of the given eight, with one compulsory question from the last three. A strong performance in the Philosophy optional exam can significantly boost the overall score of an IAS aspirant in the UPSC Mains.
| Aspect | Details |
| Exam Type | Civil Service Examination |
| Mode | Offline |
| Total Duration | 3 Hours |
| Total Papers | 2 Papers |
| Impact on Overall Score | A strong performance in Philosophy can significantly boost the overall score in the UPSC Mains exam |
The syllabus for Philosophy is released annually by the UPSC Commission in conjunction with the UPSC Notification. The Philosophy subject consists of two papers, each worth 250 marks, a total of 500 marks. Each paper is divided into two sections, with a total of 8 questions asked in the exam.
In this article, we provide the detailed UPSC Philosophy Syllabus for the Mains optional subject, along with a downloadable PDF of the UPSC Psychology Optional Syllabus.
Candidates can check out the Topic-wise UPSC Philosophy Syllabus for Mains Optional paper I.
| History and Problems of Philosophy | |
| Topics | Sub-Topics |
| Plato and Aristotle | Ideas; Substance; Form and Matter; Causation; Actuality and Potentiality. |
| Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz) | Cartesian Method and Certain Knowledge; Substance; God; Mind-Body Dualism; Determinism and Freedom. |
| Empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume) | Theory of Knowledge; Substance and Qualities; Self and God; Scepticism. |
| Kant | Possibility of Synthetic a priori Judgments; Space and Time; Categories; Ideas of Reason; Antinomies; Critique of Proofs for the Existence of God. |
| Hegel | Dialectical Method; Absolute Idealism. |
| Moore, Russell and Early Wittgenstein | Defence of Commonsense; Refutation of Idealism; Logical Atomism; Logical Constructions; Incomplete Symbols; Picture Theory of Meaning; Saying and Showing. |
| Logical Positivism | Verification Theory of Meaning; Rejection of Metaphysics; Linguistic Theory of Necessary Propositions. |
| Later Wittgenstein | Meaning and Use; Language-games; Critique of Private Language. |
| Phenomenology (Husserl) | Method; Theory of Essences; Avoidance of Psychologism. |
| Existentialism (Kierkegaard, Sartre, Heidegger) | Existence and Essence; Choice, Responsibility and Authentic Existence; Being-in-the-world and Temporality. |
| Quine and Strawson | Critique of Empiricism; Theory of Basic Particulars and Persons. |
| Carvaka | Theory of Knowledge; Rejection of Transcendent Entities. |
| Jainism | Theory of Reality; Saptabhanginaya; Bondage and Liberation. |
| Schools of Buddhism | Pratityasamutpada; Ksanikavada; Nairatmyavada. |
| Nyaya—Vaiesesika | Theory of Categories; Theory of Appearance; Theory of Pramana; Self, Liberation; God; Proofs for the Existence of God; Theory of Causation; and Atomistic Theory of Creation. |
| Samkhya | Prakrit; Purusa; Causation; Liberation. |
| Yoga | Citta; Cittavrtti; Klesas; Samadhi; Kaivalya. |
| Mimamsa | Theory of Knowledge. |
| Schools of Vedanta | Brahman; Isvara; Atman; Jiva; Jagat; Maya; Avida; Adhyasa; Moksa; Aprthaksiddhi; Pancavidhabheda. |
| Aurobindo | Evolution; Involution; Integral Yoga. |
Candidates can check out the Topic-wise UPSC Philosophy Syllabus for Mains Optional Paper II.
Candidates who are appearing in the UPSC Philosophy mains Exam can download the UPSC Philosophy Syllabus PDF Here. Click on the link below to Download the UPSC Philosophy Syllabus 2024.
Download PDF: UPSC Philosophy Syllabus 2024 PDF
Candidates can check some of the preparation resources added to you like using books and newspapers. You can use online resources through different web portals and platforms. Solve UPSC previous year’s questions to build a strong understanding of these topics.
Note that consistency, discipline, and a thorough understanding of concepts are key to success in the UPSC Mains Philosophy examination. Good luck with your preparation.
Philosophy is an optional that is gaining popularity among UPSC aspirants. It has the reputation of having the shortest syllabus out of all the optional subjects offered by the UPSC.
Paper I include History and Problems of Philosophy. Paper II include Socio-Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion.
UPSC Philosophy optional syllabus subject is considered one of the easiest optional subjects for the UPSC IAS Mains exam. Keep on reading to get more insights on the comprehensive syllabus, booklist, and strategies.
UPSC Philosophy Optional: Preparation Strategy
Go through the entire UPSC Philosophy Syllabus.
Highlight the important topics by referring to the previous year's question papers.
Cover the topics with the highest weightage first.
Prepare notes for all important topics.
Revise the notes every day.
Philosophy – the love of wisdom – is an activity of attempting to understand the world, in all its aspects. There are four pillars of philosophy: theoretical philosophy (metaphysics and epistemology), practical philosophy (ethics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics), logic, and history of philosophy.
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