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.
87 courses available
A taste of philosophyHave 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 £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00- Buddhist philosophy'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.
Keeley Street
Mon 14 Sep 2026John GoffFull fee £329.00 Senior fee £263.00 Concession £214.00 - The many faces of timeDo we perceive time or the passage of events? Einstein famously considered time - or the distinction between past, present, and future - as an illusion. We examine subjective time or how we experience time, discussing the roles of memory, emotion, and narrative.
Online
Mon 14 Sep 2026Anita KasabovaFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Introduction to philosophyThis problem-based introduction to philosophy explores key themes of modern philosophy, including truth, knowledge, ultimate reality and the mind-body problem.
Keeley Street
Mon 14 Sep 2026Karl WhiteFull fee £329.00 Senior fee £263.00 Concession £214.00 - Chinese Philosophy: the nature of nature
“Heaven and earth are produced from Nature. The myriad things are produced from Heaven and Earth. Nature has nothing outside it; thus it is the name of heaven and earth together.” (Ruan Ji)
Online
Sat 19 Sep 2026John GoffFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Introduction to political philosophy
What 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.
NB: No class on 30/11/26.
Keeley Street
Mon 21 Sep 2026Christopher HornerFull fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00 - Philosophy reading group: Spinoza's The Ethics
Spinoza’s Ethics, a profound and challenging philosophical work, presents a vision grounded in necessity, reason, and the unity of all things. We’ll read it together, discussing Spinoza’s views on God or Nature, mind and body, emotions, and the path to intellectual freedom and happiness.
NB: No class on 30/11/26.
Keeley Street
Mon 21 Sep 2026Christopher HornerFull fee £329.00 Senior fee £329.00 Concession £214.00 - History of ideas: Resist! - the politics and impolitics of resistance
VIVE LA RESISTANCE! But what is resistance and what does it mean to resist? Is it simply saying no, a reaction, the refusal to submit to the current state of things? Or is it the perennial defiance of oppression and injustice? Does every resistance imply counter-resistances? Better responding to our troubled times requires us to rethink what we mean by resistance.
Keeley Street
Thu 24 Sep 2026Denis BosseauFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Postmodernist philosophy and the legacy of Nietzsche
This course explores the crisis of the modern subject through continental philosophy's most provocative thinkers. Join us as we trace how 20th-century thought has systematically undermined the Cartesian notion of a unified, self-transparent, rational subject, via thinkers including Deleuze, Lacan, Foucault and Derrida.
Keeley Street
Fri 25 Sep 2026Barrie SelwynFull fee £329.00 Senior fee £263.00 Concession £214.00 - Remembering Jurgen Habermas: communicative action and the contemporary world
The philosopher Jurgen Habermas, who passed away in March 2026, made important contributions to philosophy and sociology. He produced a substantial body of work, and the course will deal with a select aspect of that oeuvre.
Keeley Street
Tue 29 Sep 2026Gabriel Olumide ApataFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Exploring Kant: on race and ethnicity
Many philosophers, particularly of the Enlightenment era, wrote on the subject of race and ethnicity. Many also expounded views that would now be considered racist, amongst them Immanuel Kant. Join this course to find out more, and to question and discuss his views on race and ethnicity.
Keeley Street
Wed 30 Sep 2026Gabriel Olumide ApataFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Philosophy of religion
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.
Keeley Street
Sat 3 Oct 2026Edgar Ter-DanielyanFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - An Introduction to the Classic Trio of British Empiricists: Locke, Berkeley and HumeJoin this course and discover the work of John Locke, the founder of British Empiricism; George Berkeley and his famous view on perception; and David Hume’s fork of ‘relations of ideas' and 'matters of fact'.
Keeley Street
Wed 7 Oct 2026Cristina PaternoFull fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - History of ideas: an introduction to ideology
This course asks us to consider the following questions: What is ideology? What does it mean to be ideological? and Why is ideology important to understand?
Keeley Street
Wed 7 Oct 2026John HolroydFull fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Integrating philosophy and ethics in a capitalist worldEmbark on a journey to explore the intricate interplay between philosophy, ethics and capitalism. Join our exploration into aligning values with the demands of a dynamic global economy. Explore how values and principles can harmonise with the demands of a global economy.
Keeley Street
Sun 11 Oct 2026Vina TheodorakopoulouFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
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