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.
- Heaven and hell in world religionsCourse start date: Fri 3 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingCompare and contrast the afterlife beliefs of the five major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Explore how these ideas developed and influenced each other.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £85.00 - The pre-Socratic philosophers: philosophy in the beginningCourse start date: Mon 20 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: John GoffThe beginnings of philosophy and science are found in the thinking of early Greek, ‘Presocratic’, philosophers. Who were they? Why is their thinking still relevant?
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 £99.00 Concession £50.00 - Philosophy and the soulCourse start date: Tue 21 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita KasabovaWhy talk about the soul and the psyche? Mainstream philosophy discarded these terms and yet they permeate through philosophical and psychological questions. How is the psyche lodged in the body? What is the relation between psyche, soul, and self? We explore these questions while re-integrating the notions of soul and psyche into the philosophical discussion.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £70.00 - The philosophical Hamlet: life, death and everything in betweenCourse start date: Wed 22 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Borna RadnikCan we ever escape our past? Can we act to change our future? This course examines various philosophical themes through engagement with different philosophical traditions and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
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 £50.00 - Selves, persons and agents: a philosophical enquiryCourse start date: Tue 25 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ariel KernbergWho am I? Is there such a thing as “my true self”? These and related questions will be looked at from various philosophical perspectives.
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 - Philosophy and the meaning of lifeCourse start date: Mon 15 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Oliver JosiahSome philosophers have insisted that philosophy should explain the meaning of our existence. What does it mean for us to be? And how then should we live? This course examines some seriously philosophical answers.
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 - An introduction to critical thinkingCourse start date: Wed 31 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
It is all too easy to read and spread information from social media and the internet. But does this mean we can draw useful conclusions from the information we are exposed to? The course provides essential tools for us to be good thinkers in this information age.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £55.00 - The Socratic philosophers: PlatoCourse start date: Mon 5 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: John GoffPlato’s philosophy is the foundation of Western thought. It remains essential to a philosophical understanding the human condition.
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 - How do we perceive time?Course start date: Mon 5 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita KasabovaDo we perceive time or the passage of events? Einstein famously considered time – or the distinction between past, present, and future – as an illusion. We will reflect on how we experience time, discussing the roles of memory, emotion, and narrative.
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 £55.00 Concession £35.00 - The Socratic philosophers: AristotleCourse start date: Mon 3 Jul 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: John GoffAristotle developed a naturalistic understanding of the human condition which informed his political and ethical thinking. His philosophy remains highly relevant to contemporary debates about what is the best way to live.
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 - A short introduction to paradoxCourse start date: Sat 22 Jul 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Oliver JosiahA paradox is an apparently absurd conclusion derived from seemingly uncontroversial premises through supposedly
valid reasoning. This course will introduce you to four major philosophical paradoxes and some of the attempts to
solve them.
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 £38.00 - The great philosophersCourse start date: Mon 9 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Oliver JosiahExplore the ideas of major philosophers from Plato to Sartre. How does Western philosophy differ from religion
and science? What problems have the great philosophers tried to solve?
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This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £130.00 - Understanding the modern worldCourse start date: Mon 9 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher HornerExplore the ideas of four key thinkers whose ideas have vitally shaped our world. Examine their views on morality, meaning, the role and status of women, human nature, political and economic injustice and much more.
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 - Modern political philosophy: ideas and ideologies in the 21st centuryCourse start date: Tue 10 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Christopher HornerWhat are the key philosophical ideas behind the issues and debates of today? This is an opportunity to explore in more depth the concepts and ideologies that are shaping the politics of the 21st century.
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 - An introduction to philosophy of mindCourse start date: Tue 10 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ariel Kernberg“No Brain, No Pain” — that’s hardly controversial. But is having an experience or—indeed—entertaining a thought
nothing else than neural activity? In this course we will look at this and some related philosophical questions.
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
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