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Philosophy

Discipline

Philosophy is an activity of thought, more than it is a body of settled knowledge. It raises questions about matters of fundamental concern – bearing on existence, what we can know and how we ought to live. It then tries to answer these questions by opening up to and being guided by the best possible arguments.

Choose a philosophy course that will get you work ready

Studying philosophy not only involves asking the big questions, it teaches important skills. Philosophy at Deakin asks questions about the nature of reality, truth and knowledge, meaning, the existence of God, personal identity, the good in ethical and political life, and the value and power of art. At the same time, it fosters the development of skills in critical and creative thinking, argumentation, communication, problem-solving and research.

Undergraduate

Undergraduate (your first degree)

A Deakin undergraduate course is the foundation of your future career, usually completed in two to four years. Duration varies based on degree type, enrolment pattern and any credit received from recognition of prior learning.

Research

Higher Degrees by Research (supervised research)

Research degrees are research based master’s or PhD programs that focus on a single area of expertise. They provide students the opportunity to carry out highly specialised research under expert supervision.

Career opportunities

Philosophy at Deakin will equip you with a broad range of specialised and general skills, like critical reasoning. You’ll find these skills useful for any job or field that requires decision-making abilities or considered thought, including:

  • academia – teaching philosophy
  • business roles in corporate and multinationals
  • creative advertising
  • diplomat
  • historian
  • journalist
  • judge
  • lawyer
  • linguist
  • politician
  • photographer, filmmaker, painter, author
  • public policymaker within government departments
  • teaching at high schools.
A unique cross-disciplinary perspective

A unique cross-disciplinary perspective

Our teaching and research philosophers have diverse expertise and interests, and work within all of the major philosophical traditions: analytic, continental European, Eastern and American pragmatism. We nurture a culture of cross-disciplinary learning.

Research with us

A higher degree by research in philosophy at Deakin covers a wide range of topics – from personal identity to existentialism. Deakin philosophers form the nucleus of the Philosophy and the History of Ideas research group (in the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation), which is one of the largest centres of its kind in Victoria.

Recent Deakin research

Online interactions with the dead
Patrick Stokes is working on a project that considers the ethical implications of increasingly common practices of online memorialisation and commemoration.  

Reinventions of philosophy as a way of life
Matthew Sharpe’s project involves a monograph and an edited book series on modern thinkers who have tried to reanimate the classical idea of philosophy as a way of life.

Learn more about researching with us

Discover philosophy at Deakin

Discover philosophy at Deakin

Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Dr Sean Bowden, introduces you to studying Philosophy.

Read our Philosophy@Deakin blog

Our philosophy blog showcases some of the great work our philosophers at Deakin are doing including recent research.

Find out more about Philosophy@Deakin

Who has studied philosophy?

You may be surprised at some of the leading figures in politics, business, the arts and entertainment who studied philosophy:

  • Wes Anderson (filmmaker)
  • Stephen Colbert (comedian and TV host)
  • Lana Del Rey (singer-songwriter)
  • Al Gore (former US vice-president and environmental activist)
  • Ricky  Gervais (comedian)
  • Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn)
  • Martin Luther King Jr. (civil rights activist)
  • Aung San Suu Kyi (Burmese state counsellor and rights activist)
  • Bruce Lee (martial artist)
  • Terence Malik (filmmaker)
  • Steve Martin (comedian, actor, musician)
  • Lachlan Murdoch (businessman)
  • Larry Sanger (co-founder of Wikipedia)
  • Carly Fiorina (former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, presidential candidate)
  • David Foster Wallace (author).