DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

The department of Philosophy was introduced in the college in the year 1992 with provisional affiliation from NEHU. The department was permanently affiliated to NEHU in the year 2005. Honour course was introduced in the year of the implementation of the semester system that is in the year 2015.

ABOUT THE SUBJECT:

The word philosophy is from the Greek word philo, meaning ‘to love’ and Sophia, meaning ‘wisdom’. Literally, philosophy means ‘love of wisdom’. It is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. The term was probably coined by Pythagoras (570 – 495 BC). Philosophical methods include questioning, critical discussion, rational argument and systematic presentation. Logic is the tool that philosopher uses to tackle philosophical question. A philosopher is a person who loves to think, to question and to observe his life and of the environment around him.

Historically, "philosophy" encompassed any body of knowledge. From the time of Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to the 19th century, "natural philosophy" encompassed astronomy, medicine and physics. For example, Newton's 1687 Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy later became classified as a book of physics. In the 19th century, the growth of modern research universities led academic philosophy and other disciplines to professionalize and specialize. In the modern era, some investigations that were traditionally part of philosophy became separate academic disciplines, including psychology, sociology, linguistics and economics. But today when we study philosophy as a separate discipline, we used the term ‘philosophy’ in its restricted sense. In its restricted sense philosophy does not study any particular department of the universe nor the eternal and essential nature of things. But Philosophy began to depend on the reports of the investigation made by different sciences and tries to understand their meanings and implications critically, and utilized these results for understanding the general nature of the universe – man, nature and God. According to Herbert Spencer, “science is partially unified knowledge, philosophy is completely unified knowledge. Philosophy aims at harmonizing and systematizing a truth and knowledge, by arriving at a rational conception of the reality as a whole, both in its eternal and temporal aspects. Philosophy is the criticism of life and experience. It attempts to have a conception of the entire universe with all its elements and aspects and inter-relate one another. It aims to seek a synoptic view of the whole reality.

Different sciences deal with different department of the world and give us a sectional view of the world. But philosophy harmonizes the highest conclusion of the different sciences, co-ordinates them with one another and gives a rational conception of the whole world.

Philosophy is the comprehensive study of the world, mind, matter, universe and God. A philosopher is one who is devoted to such study. As Plato says, “philosopher is the spectator of all time and existence”.

Subject Combination Available

Skills acquired by studying Philosophy:

1. Analytical thinking skills


2. Critical thinking skills


3. Communication skills


4. Argumentative skills


5. Problem-solving skills

Course Structure

Specific outcomes:

After the completion of the course, the students will be capable of:

1. Understanding the Meaning, nature and scope of philosophy.


2. Developing and enhancing the power of logical reasoning.


3. Developing the capacity to analyze concepts, definitions, argument and problems.


4. Understanding the nature and scope of ethics. They will also become familiar with the moral concepts such as good, right, duty and virtue and other issues in applied ethics.


5. Understanding the application of philosophical knowledge in other area such as political science, psychology, religion, etc.


6. Developing the capacity to broaden his or her outlook and hence his or her outlook become more comprehensive.


7. Becoming aware of major figures and development in the history of philosophy.


8. Understanding the definition and division of orthodox and heterodox schools of Indian Philosophy.


9. Understanding the different philosophical theories regarding the relation between mind and body.


10. Understanding the nature of social and political philosophy, the major political concept, social and political ideas, political concepts and the nature of transformation.

Course outcome:

Students completing BA in philosophy should achieve the following competencies:

1. Ability in critical thinking skills. This skill is carried out through all philosophy courses.


2. Understanding the concept of right, wrong, good and bad; understanding of moral principles and their application in everyday life.


3. Ability to read and interpret philosophical tests.


4. Ability to recognize, express and analyze arguments in philosophical texts.


5. Ability to summarize and explain difficult ideas and concepts. This goes hand in hand with the previous competency. It is achieved through analysis and critical thinking.


6. Ability in writing that reflects careful attention to language, logic and reasoning.


7. Ability to understand reality from different perspectives and thus to understand that different people will define issues in different ways.

Faculty Profile:

Department Activities

1. Coaching class for SSC CHSL/CGL, IBPS Clerical/PO, SBI Clerical/PO, state level and district level competitive examination.