Explore Philosophy, Religion & Belief
From the meaning of life to moral dilemmas: explore the questions philosophers and thinkers have pondered for centuries. Our daytime, evening and weekend courses cover a wide range of subjects. Join a class to encounter ethics and existentialism, memory and the mind, or discover the paradoxes and politics of the modern world.
Courses available both in-person and online
We offer a range of courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, you’ll receive the same great City Lit experience. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.
Expert tutors
Our classes are taught by experienced, professional tutors with a wide range of specialisms in philosophy, from ethics to political philosophy, and from Eastern philosophies to psychoanalysis to name just a few. Many of our tutors also teach at London universities and bring their expertise from other academic disciplines, for example art, literature and politics. Please refer to specific course outlines for individual tutor biographies.
Studying at City Lit
Philosophy courses are offered in a range of formats and lengths - from a single day to a twelve-week course, during the day, in the evening and at weekends. Courses can be studied singly or in combination with other courses as your interests and learning develop in new directions. A number of our past philosophy students have gone on to study philosophy at university at degree and masters level.
Find a course
Browse our range of philosophy courses in London and online below to choose your perfect option: both complete beginners and returning students are equally welcome at City Lit.
- Philosophy of musicCourse start date: Tue 5 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Rich CochraneWhat is music? Does it consist of sounds, scores or something else? Is it a language? Can it express emotions? Or be objectively beautiful? Why do we value it? Can we always differentiate between music and other sounds?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £44.00 - Religion and nothingness: the Kyoto SchoolCourse start date: Thu 7 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John GoffThinking of God as ‘Absolute’ and as ‘Nothing’ is key to the inter-faith dialogue of Zen Buddhism and Christian theology promoted by Kyoto School thinkers Nishida and Nishitani. In what sense is God ‘Nothing’?Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £39.00 - Demeter, Persephone, and the myth of rebirthCourse start date: Fri 8 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita KasabovaGoddesses Demeter and Persephone are associated with the crop cycle and the Eleusinian mysteries. In this course we discuss the Homeric hymn to Demeter and explore the soul’s descent into the underworld and its rebirth, guided by the ‘Orphic’ gold tablets found in ancient graves.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Philosophy of artCourse start date: Sat 9 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christopher HornerWhy do we value art? For the pleasure it gives us, the emotion it expresses, its truthfulness, its form? In this introduction to the philosophy of art we will consider various approaches to these questions and others.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - Pacifism: the moral and philosophical dilemmas in the 21st centuryCourse start date: Sat 16 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Bruce JohnsonFew people enjoy living with violence in society, but not many of us are prepared to identify as pacifists. What dilemmas do we face, when trying to adopt more peaceful practices?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - AI and robots: what is the future for love?Course start date: Sat 23 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Oliver JosiahSex robots are coming. But will this technology lead to a happier world in which sexual inequalities are addressed? Or will sexbots undermine our human relationships by perpetuating troubling attitudes toward women, minorities, and consent?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - A taste of philosophy
Course start date: Sat 23 Jul 2022 (and 3 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street (other locations are available)
Tutors: John GoffHave you ever wondered what philosophy is? What do philosophers talk about? Can they tell you the meaning of life or is it just jargon and navel gazing? Come along and find out.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00 - Heraclitus and the philosophy of changeCourse start date: Sat 30 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John Goff“The world, the same for all, neither any god nor any man made; but it was always and is and will be, fire ever-living, kindling in measures and being extinguished in measures …” — Heraclitus.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - Longtermism and the future of humanityCourse start date: Sat 6 Aug 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Oliver JosiahThis course introduces students to contemporary discussions and debates over Longtermism, the view that the current generation’s biggest priority should be to make sure that the very long-term future goes as well as possible.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - An introduction to Indian comparative religionsCourse start date: Sat 13 Aug 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ketan VariaThe course is an introduction to Indian Religions. Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism all have common aspects, but also some fundamental differences in philosophy.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - Plotinus and The OneCourse start date: Sat 13 Aug 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John Goff“THE ONE is all things and no one of them; the source of all things is not all things; all things are its possession … ” Plotinus.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - Buddhist philosophyCourse start date: Mon 19 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John Goff'Impermanence is the root of human suffering.' Over hundreds of years a highly developed philosophy grew from this simple idea. However, one does not need to adopt a religious outlook to benefit from Buddhist philosophy.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £130.00 - Phenomenology: the bodyCourse start date: Mon 19 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: John GoffThe phenomenology of embodiment begins with bodily experience, language and being in the world. In what ways does phenomenology illuminate bodily being as sexed and non-sexed?
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00 - Introduction to moral philosophyCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: Ariel KernbergWhat’s the right thing to do? But what does ‘right’ actually mean? And what reason do I have to do it? Join us as we grapple with these fundamental questions. NB: No class on Tues 27th October.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Introduction to political philosophyCourse start date: Tue 20 Sep 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher HornerWhat are the ends and means of politics? Interweaving modern history and politics with key philosophical texts, study and debate the ideas, ideologies and concepts underpinning our thinking about the organisation of society.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £95.00
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