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.
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.
- Philosophical life coachingCourse start date: Sat 28 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tim LebonPhilosophical life coaching helps you lead a more satisfying and meaningful life by using insights and methods from the great thinkers. This introductory workshop will show you some of the most interesting ways it can be of help. No previous experience required.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Philosophy of loveCourse start date: Sat 4 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
To love and to be loved is an integral part of life. But how much do we understand the underlying meaning and problems of love? Studying the philosophy of love can not only help us make sense of love; it can help us make sense of life too.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - The philosophy of MachiavelliCourse start date: Sat 18 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John Goff“ … in constituting and legislating for a commonwealth it must needs be taken for granted that all men are wicked and that they will always give vent to the malignity that is in their hearts when opportunity offers.”.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Miriam the prophetess, Ruth the migrant and Queen Esther: stories and afterlives of biblical womenCourse start date: Sat 11 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ann JeffersFull fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - A taste of philosophyCourse start date: Sat 22 Apr 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
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 - German Idealism from Kant to Hegel: the beginnings of continental philosophyCourse start date: Mon 15 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Christopher HornerGerman philosophers created the most ambitious and imaginative systems of thought of modern times against the backdrop of revolution and war. This creative and speculative beginning to modern continental philosophy is an exciting intellectual adventure.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - Japanese philosophyCourse start date: Mon 15 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John GoffJapanese philosophy extends well beyond Zen, with several philosophical traditions including that of the modern Kyoto School. Developing distinct cultural, aesthetic and political concepts, Japanese philosophers offer a rich field of thought.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £120.00 - Witchcraft in the modern world: 1900 to the presentCourse start date: Sat 27 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
From Wicca to the Satanic Panic, and from The Wizard of Oz to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this course looks at why the modern world now has so many competing ideas about what witchcraft is.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Philosophy of religionCourse start date: Sat 10 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Philosophy of religion is where philosophical methods meet far-reaching religious doctrines. Join this introductory course to explore some of the big questions that go to the very essence of what it means to be human.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Philosophy of artCourse start date: Sat 8 Jul 2023
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 £38.00 - Philosophy and cultural theoryCourse start date: Fri 13 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Barrie SelwynWe will look the philosophical underpinnings of culture through the writings of key philosophers who engage critically with the self images of the post enlightenment era. In particular we well look at Ideology, language and art in the context of cultural reproduction.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £130.00
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