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.
- Being and empathy: the philosophy of Edith SteinCourse start date: Sat 3 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John GoffThis course aims to make Stein’s thought more familiar by examining her contribution to a philosophical-phenomenological understanding of faith and religion.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 - Satan and the Devil: a cultural eye view through texts, images and traditionsCourse start date: Sat 17 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ann JeffersThe figure of Satan/devil has pervaded many centuries of the cultural imagination of the Western world. The course will examine the literary and iconographic sources for this enduring phenomena and will ask why ideas about the devil have continued to both frighten and fascinate and why its long-lasting association with sexuality and deceit continues to make it an attractive theme in contemporary culture.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Philosophy of loveCourse start date: Sat 24 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Louis TsangTo 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 £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Philosophy of artCourse start date: Sat 8 Jul 2023 (and 1 other date)
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 - A taste of philosophy
Course start date: Sat 22 Jul 2023 (and 6 other dates)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 - Nietzche and the psycheCourse start date: Sat 29 Jul 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John GoffAs one of the most psychological philosophers, Nietzsche roots his understanding of the psyche in a critique of moralistic self-deception and an invocation of the vital, organic sources of self-surpassing creation ….Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Wittgenstein and the psycheCourse start date: Sat 12 Aug 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John Goff“Imagine that people had the custom of doodling while they spoke, why should what they produce in this way while talking be less interesting than accompanying processes in their minds, and why should the interest of these be of any different kind?” - Wittgenstein.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - An introduction to Indian comparative religionsCourse start date: Sat 12 Aug 2023 (and 1 other date)
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 £69.00 - Constructing the witch: how women became maleficent
Course start date: Sat 28 Oct 2023Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ann JeffersThis study day will examine the question of the association of women with magic and witchcraft.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Philosophical life coachingCourse start date: Sat 27 Jan 2024
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 - Satan and the Devil: a cultural view through text, image and traditionCourse start date: Sat 9 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ann JeffersThe figure of Satan/devil has pervaded many centuries of the cultural imagination of the Western world. The course will examine the literary and iconographic sources for this enduring phenomena and will ask why ideas about the devil have continued to both frighten and fascinate and why its long-lasting association with sexuality and deceit continues to make it an attractive theme in contemporary culture.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - The purchase of paradise: ideas of purgatory in the mediaeval worldCourse start date: Sat 8 Jun 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingFull fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
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