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.
- Philosophy and cultural theoryCourse start date: Fri 9 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Barrie SelwynMerleau Ponty’s concept of embodied subjectivity continues to shape our views in cultural theory and theories of knowledge in general. We will explore his ideas and their applications as well as the general context from which they emerge. - Philosophy and the meaning of lifeCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Karl WhiteSome 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.
- German Idealism from Kant to Hegel: the beginnings of continental philosophy
Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025Location 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. - Japanese philosophyCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
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. - The death of GodCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John HolroydOver the past five hundred years in the West belief in God has declined. This course will examine why this has happened and consider the meaning and significance of what has taken place.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Heaven and hell in world religionsCourse start date: Tue 13 May 2025
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.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00 - Philosophy and the selfCourse start date: Tue 13 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
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.
NB There will be no class on 26/05/26.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £168.00 - Ubuntu, communitarianism and personhood: key concepts in African philosophyCourse start date: Wed 14 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ovett NwosimiriThis course is an introduction to the key concepts in African philosophy. We will analyse the various positions and contestations regarding the nature, and trends in African philosophy, debate on communitarianism and personhood, and ubuntu.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Philosophy and near-death experience: what can we know?Course start date: Sat 17 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edgar Ter-DanielyanThis course will present the phenomenon of Near Death Experiences (NDEs) from the philosophical perspective and will discuss what, if anything, we can learn from them.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - What there is and how we know it's there: an introduction to metaphysicsCourse start date: Wed 21 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lucy SheafMetaphysics is concerned with fundamental philosophical questions about the nature of reality. Many of those questions naturally raise further philosophical questions about what we can know – questions of epistemology. This course is an introduction to some of the most historically significant approaches to such questions.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - Satan and the Devil: a cultural eye view through text, image and traditionCourse start date: Sat 24 May 2025
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 £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - An introduction to the philosophy of Simone WeillCourse start date: Thu 29 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Karl WhiteIn this course we will look at aspects of the wide-ranging and intriguing philosophy of Simone Weil, one of the 20th century’s most intriguing and mysterious thinkers.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Philosophy and cinemaCourse start date: Fri 30 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Daniel WeizmanWe explore the intersection of film and philosophy, engaging with the works of influential thinkers and film makers. Together, we discover how cinema opens new possibilities to examine enduring philosophical questions concerning the mind, reality, identity, and ideology.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - An introduction to Jainism Course start date: Sat 31 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ketan VariaThis course is an introduction to Jain philosophy, with a particular emphasis on its relevance to environmentalism.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Introduction to Islam: historical emergence, current issuesCourse start date: Sat 31 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Farid PanjwaniThe course is about exploring Muslim history: What is Islam? Who is a Muslim? This course explores these questions through a study of the Quran, the Prophet and the socio-political and religious developments in the early history of Muslims. You may discover that there is more than meets the eye.
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