Philosophy for prospective students

The faculty offers the best conditions for successful studies in Philosophy at LMU Munich - for many reasons.

Two persons in conversation during sunset

First, the important question: what is philosophy?

Philosophy is one of the oldest academic disciplines. As a meta-discipline, it explores the most general and universal principles underlying the world and human life, and discusses the scope and validity of claims to knowledge in areas such as metaphysics, nature, science, society, history, ethics, law, art and more. But philosophy does not just teach "thinking" exclusively - several other disciplines also do this - but, ideally, "thinking about thinking".

Philosophy clearly has a lot to do with asking questions. While scientists answer questions through experiment and observation, philosophers answer questions by thinking. In the process, however, thinking is also called into question: how far can thought go? What is valid thought, what is truth?

© Susanne Neumair

Philosophy is always raising new questions. Not only in regard to itself, but also about other disciplines, about everyday life, societal issues and history. This has repeatedly given rise to schools of thought during its history. For example, ethics is an area of philosophy which deals with the question: what is a good action? Or, for instance, logic, with its questions about the form and principles of language.

Today, the "love of wisdom" is an academic field with a comprehensive history and an immense diversity of areas of reaserch, fundamental questions and disciplines. Our Bachelor program in Philosophy (Philosophy major) and our Bachelor Minor in Philosophy (30 and 60 ECTS) provide students with the academic foundations to work independently on philosophical problems and questions.

For students with a background in philosophy who have already completed a first degree, the faculty offers a Master program in Philosophy, as well as the special Master programs Theoretical Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy and Logic and Philosophy of Science.

Philosophy at one of the biggest and best faculties in Germany (and worldwide)

Faculty 10 at LMU offers the best conditions for successful academic study of philosophy because:

  • The faculty, with its ten Chairs in philosophy, four additional professorships, and numerous members of staff, is among the largest philosophy faculties in the German-speaking world. It proves itself time and time again in various rankings as one of the best philosophy faculties in the German-speaking world, as well as worldwide.
  • A broad spectrum of topics is covered in teaching and research: all important branches of philosophy are represented at LMU.
  • Particular emphasis is placed on personal contact between students and teaching staff at the faculty. Apart from the good supervisory relationship between students and lecturers, there are also the advantages of studying at a large university, such as interdisciplinary events and contact with neighboring academic institutions.
  • Bachelor students can acquire further qualifications by choosing one of various minor subjects. Master students can attend courses from many other subjects and disciplines via the Joint Humanities and Social Sciences Profile Area.
  • Students can choose between several degree programs according to their individual interests, needs and requirements:
    • Bachelor in Philosophy (Philosophy major)
    • Master in Philosophy, or the various specialised philosophical Master programs: Master in Theoretical Philosophy, Master in Ancient Philosophy and the Master in Logic and Philosophy of Science.
    • the Lehramt specialisation in Philosophy/Ethics.
  • Bachelor studies include a solid basic education in the core areas of philosophy. Every degree program furthermore offers students the chance to specialise according to their own preferences and to develop in-depth knowledge.
  • Students can access several subject libraries; the library provision in Munich is excellent.
  • Numerous lectures and guest professorships by renowned philosophers arise from the international contacts of the faculty, as well as workshops.

Is Philosophy right for me?

If you have questions or need advice about studying philosophy at LMU, you can also contact the (general) academic advisor, Dr. Thomas Wyrwich.

Ideally, you should take up studies in philosophy if you can confidently say that you have a passion for philosophical problems and look forward to engaging with long and substantial texts. You should also be interested in and enjoy writing theoretical and abstract work yourself. In the ideal case, studying philosophy is an end in itself, like any other course of study in the humanities. Of course, philosophy students should also consider their career and post-graduation livelihood during their studies. However, these considerations will depend strongly on personal skills and interests:

  • Are you confident that you can achieve a very good Philosophy degree, and are you willing to invest lots of additional time in studying languages (Ancient Greek, Latin, etc.) or logic and philosophy of science, for instance? Then you might consider pursuing an academic career.
  • If you enjoy defending opinions in front of an audience and you want to gain analytical problem-solving skills from your philosophical studies, you might think about a job in a marketing department or in consultancy.
  • Other careers which Philosophy graduates can pursue include: journalist, teacher at an adult education centre, literary editor at a publisher or a subject-matter expert at a foundation.

Most Philosophy graduates who obtain a good degree (within the standard program duration) will also find an interesting job. The following principle applies here: those who already show the necessary independence and initiative during their studies will often do the same in exploring future career options, for instance by targeted applications to internships. As a philosopher, you are always a self-organiser. Moreover, students starting a degree directly after school should keep in mind that it is always possible to obtain a further qualification after graduating from a Bachelor program: this could be in the form of a Master or even PhD program in Philosophy, or in a completely different professional field.

The following volume can also potentially give you more concrete inspiration with its reports from twelve Philosophy graduates who have settled into a range of careers: Klausener, Helge (ed.): Berufe für Philosophen, Darmstadt: WBG 2004.

Text: Thomas Wyrwich

Traditonally, LMU Campus Day takes place at the beginning of February. The subject of Philosophy is represented with a talk about studying philosophy at LMU, a sample lecture in academic philosophy as well as an information stand, where we are more than happy to advise you.

Thomas Wyrwich
Dr. Thomas Wyrwich

Student advisor and Philosophy degree program coordinator

Get to know philosophy: classic texts, tips and taster sessions

In 2011, the full-time philosophy professors who teach at Faculty 10 were asked to name between five and ten classic works from the history of philosophy which they see as particularly central and relevant. The list was updated and expanded in 2020. The following overall list shows the result. Works which were named especially frequently and by different professors appear in bold.

  • Bhagavad Gita
  • Confucius: Analects
  • Plato: The Republic
  • Aristotle: Metaphysics
  • Aristotle: The Nicomachean Ethics
  • Zhuangzi
  • Epictetus: Enchiridion
  • Plotinus: The Enneads (e.g. V.1 or VI.9)
  • Anselm: Proslogion
  • Averroes (Ibn Rushd): Decisive Treatise
  • Thomas Aquinas: On Being and Essence
  • Machiavelli: The Prince
  • Giordano Bruno: Concerning Cause, Principle and Unity
  • Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy
  • Hobbes: Leviathan
  • Leibniz: Theodicy
  • Hume: Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
  • Rousseau: The Social Contract
  • Kant: Critique of Pure Reason
  • Kant: Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
  • Kant: Critique of Practical Reason
  • Kant: Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch
  • Wollstonecraft: Vindication of the Rights of Woman
  • Hegel: The Phenomenology of Spirit
  • Schelling: Of Human Freedom
  • Kierkegaard: The Sickness Unto Death
  • Husserl: Logical Investigations
  • Frege: On Function and Concept
  • Russell: The Problems of Philosophy
  • Russell: Our Knowledge of the External World
  • Wittgenstein: Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
  • Heidegger: Being and Time
  • Carnap: The Logical Construction of the World
  • Popper: The Logic of Scientific Discovery
  • de Beauvoir: The Second Sex
  • Quine: From a Logical Point of View
  • Wittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations
  • Anscombe: Intention
  • Suppes: Introduction to Logic
  • Arendt: The Human Condition
  • Quine: Word and Object
  • Fanon: The Wretched of the Earth
  • Kuhn: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
  • Adorno: Negative Dialectics
  • Sen: Collective Choice and Social Welfare
  • Rawls: A Theory of Justice
  • Jonas: The Imperative of Responsibility
  • van Fraassen: The Scientific Image
  • Walzer: Spheres of Justice
  • Nagel: The View from Nowhere
  • Davidson: Essays on Actions and Events

  • Peter Strawson: Freedom and resentment
    Original publication: Strawson, Peter F. (1962). Freedom and resentment. In: Gary Watson (ed.), Proceedings of the British Academy, Volume 48: 1962. Oup Oxford. pp. 1-25.
    In essay collection: Strawson, Peter F. (1974). Freedom and Resentment and Other Essays. Routledge.
    German translation: Freiheit und Übelnehmen, in: Pothast, Ulrich (ed.) (1978). Seminar: Freies Handeln und Determinismus. Suhrkamp

  • Donald Davidson: Actions, Reasons, and Causes
    Original publication: Davidson, Donald (1963). Actions, Reasons, and Causes. Journal of Philosophy 60 (23):685.
    In essay collection: Davidson, D. (2001). Essays on actions and events: Philosophical essays (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press
    German translation: Handlungen, Gründe und Ursachen, in: Davidson, D. (1985). Handlung und Ereignis. Übersetzt von Joachim Schulte. Suhrkamp

  • Harry Frankfurt: Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person
    Original publication: Frankfurt, Harry G. (1971). Freedom of the will and the concept of a person. Journal of Philosophy 68 (1):5-20.
    In essay collection: Frankfurt, Harry G. (1988). The Importance of What We Care About: Philosophical Essays. Cambridge University Press.
    German translation: Willensfreiheit und der Begriff der Person, in: Frankfurt, Harry G.; Betzler, Monika & Guckes, Barbara (eds.) (2001). Freiheit und Selbstbestimmung: Ausgewählte Texte. versch. Übersetzer. De Gruyter

  • Harry Frankfurt: Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility
    Original publication: Frankfurt, Harry G. (1969). Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility. Journal of Philosophy 66 (23):829-839.
    In essay collection: Frankfurt, Harry G. (1988). The Importance of What We Care About: Philosophical Essays. Cambridge University Press.
    German translation: Alternative Handlungsmöglichkeiten und moralische Verantwortung, in: Frankfurt, Harry G. Betzler, Monika & Guckes, Barbara (eds.) (2001). Freiheit Und Selbstbestimmung: Ausgewählte Texte. versch. Übersetzer. De Gruyter

  • Bernard Williams: Persons, Character and Morality
    Original publication: Rorty, Amélie Oksenberg (ed.) (1976). The Identities of Persons. University of California Press.
    In essay collection: Williams, Bernard (1981). Moral Luck: Philosophical Papers, 1973–1980. Cambridge University Press.
    German translation: Personen, Charakter und Moralität, in: Williams, Bernard (1984). Moralischer Zufall: Philosophische Aufsätze 1973-1980. Übersetzt von André Linden. Hain

  • Bernard Williams: Moral Luck
    Original publication: Williams, Bernard (1976). Moral Luck. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 50:115-35.
    In essay collection: Williams, Bernard (1981). Moral Luck: Philosophical Papers, 1973–1980. Cambridge University Press.
    German translation: Moralischer Zufall, in: Williams, Bernard (1984). Moralischer Zufall: Philosophische Aufsätze 1973-1980. Übersetzt von André Linden. Hain

  • Elizabeth Anscombe: Modern Moral Philosophy
    Original publication: Anscombe, G. E. M. (1958). Modern Moral Philosophy. Philosophy 33 (124):1 - 19.
    In essay collection: Anscombe, G. E. M. (ed.) (1991). Ethics, Religion and Politics: Collected Philosophical Papers. Wiley-Blackwell.
    German translation: Die Moralphilosophie der Moderne, in: Hlobil, Ulf & Nieswandt, Katharina (eds.) (2014). G. E. M. Anscombe: Aufsätze. Suhrkamp.

  • Philippa Foot: The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect
    Original publication: Foot, Philippa (1967). The problem of abortion and the doctrine of double effect. Oxford Review 5:5-15.
    In essay collection: Foot, Philippa (1978). Virtues and Vices and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy. Oxford University Press.
    German translation: Das Abtreibungsproblem und die Doktrin der Doppelwirkung, in: Leist, Anton (ed.) (1989). Um Leben und Tod: Moralische Probleme bei Abtreibung, künstlicher Befruchtung, Euthanasie und Selbstmord. Suhrkamp

  • Peter Singer: Famine, Affluence, and Morality
    Original publication: Singer, Peter (1972). Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1(3), 229-243.
    In essay collection: Shafer-Landau, Russ (ed.) (2007). Ethical Theory: An Anthology. Wiley-Blackwell.
    German translation: Hunger, Wohlstand und Moral, in: Bleisch, Barbara & Schaber, Peter (eds.) (2007). Weltarmut und Ethik. Mentis.

  • T.M. Scanlon: Contractualism and Utilitarianism
    Original publication: Scanlon, Thomas M. (1982). Contractualism and utilitarianism. In: Amartya Kumar Sen & Bernard Arthur Owen Williams (eds.), Utilitarianism and Beyond. Cambridge University Press. pp. 103--128.

  • Stephen Darwall: Two Kinds of Respect
    Original publication: Darwall, Stephen (1977). Two kinds of respect. Ethics 88 (1):36-49.
    In essay collection: R. S. Dillon (ed.) (1995). Dignity, Character and Self-Respect. Routledge.

  • Isaiah Berlin: Two Concepts of Liberty
    Original publication: Berlin, Isaiah (1958). Two concepts of liberty. Clarendon Press.
    In essay collection: Two Concepts of Liberty in: Berlin, Isaiah (ed.) (2002). Liberty. Oxford University Press.
    German translation: Zwei Freiheitsbegriffe, in: Berlin, Isaiah (1995). Freiheit: vier Versuche. Aus dem Englischen von Reinhard Kaiser. Fischer.

  • Elizabeth Anderson: What is the point of equality?
    Original publication: Anderson, Elizabeth S. (1999). What is the point of equality? Ethics 109 (2):287-337.
    In essay collection: Mancilla, Alejandra & Campbell Tom (eds.) (2017). Theories of Justice. Routledge
    German translation: Warum eigentlich Gleichheit? in: Krebs, Angelica (ed.) (2000). Gleichheit oder Gerechtigkeit. - Texte der neuen Egalitarismuskritik. Suhrkamp.

  • Nancy Fraser: Sex, Lies and the Public Sphere
    Original publication: Fraser, Nancy (1992). Sex, Lies, and the Public Sphere: Some Reflections on the Confirmation of Clarence Thomas. Critical Inquiry 18 (3):595-612.
    In essay collection: Fraser, Nancy (1996). Justice Interruptus: Critical Reflections on the "Postsocialist" Condition. Routledge.
    German translation: Sex, Lügen und die Öffentlichkeit: Überlegungen zur Bestätigung des Bundesrichters Clarence Thomas in: Institut für Sozialforschung der J.W.Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (ed.) (1994). Geschlechterverhältnisse und Politik. Suhrkamp.

  • Jürgen Habermas: Diskursethik – Notizen zu einem Begründungsprogram
    Original publication: Diskursethik – Notizen zu einem Begründungsprogramm In: Habermas, Jürgen (1983). Moralbewusstsein und kommunikatives Handeln. Suhrkamp.
    In essay collection: Habermas, Jürgen (2009). Diskursethik: Philosophische Texte - Studienausgabe, Band 3. Suhrkamp.

  • John Rawls: Justice as Fairness: Political not Metaphysical
    Original publication: Rawls, John (1985). Justice as fairness: Political not metaphysical. Philosophy and Public Affairs 14 (3):223-251.
    In essay collection: Corlett, J. Angelo (ed.) (1991). Equality and Liberty: Analyzing Rawls and Nozick. St. Martin's Press.
    German translation: Erin Kelly (ed.) (2006). Gerechtigkeit als Fairneß: Ein Neuentwurf. Übersetzt von Joachim Schulte. Suhrkamp. (nicht eins zu eins derselbe Artikel)

  • Philippa Foot: Virtues and Vices
    Original publication: Foot, Philippa (1978). Virtues and Vices. In: Virtues and Vices: and other essays in moral philosophy. Oxford University Press.
    German translation: Tugend und Laster, in: Rippe, Klaus P. & Schaber, Peter(eds.) (1998). Tugendethik. Reclam.

  • James Rachels: Active and Passive Euthansia
    Original publication: Rachels, J. (1975). Active and passive euthanasia. The New England journal of medicine, 292(9).
    In essay collection: Jecker, N. A. S., & Jonsen, A. R. (2007). Bioethics: an introduction to the history, methods, and practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning
    German translation: Aktive und Passive Sterbehilfe, in: Sass, Hans-Martin (ed.) (1994). Medizin und Ethik.Reclam

  • Peter Singer: All Animals are Equal
    Original publication: Singer, P. (1974). All animals are equal. Philosophic Exchange, 5(1), 6.
    In collection: Singer, Peter (1989). All Animals Are Equal. In Tom Regan & Peter Singer (eds.), Animal Rights and Human Obligations. Oxford University Press. pp. 215--226.
    German translation: Alle Tiere sind gleich, in: Krebs, Angelika (ed.) (1997). Naturethik: Grundtexte der gegenwärtigen tier- und ökoethischen Diskussion. Suhrkamp.

1. Go beyond the modules you are taking (e.g. by attending special lectures).

2. Allow yourself to pursue a particular topic over several semesters during your BA and later during your MA (if you continue your studies).

3. Regardless of tip 2, also be open for diverse philosophical fields! (Especially during the BA.)

4. Avoid treating the collection of module credits as the highest philosophical virtue.

5. But equally avoid "spreading yourself too thinly" - here's a simple test for a seminar: have I read and prepared the given text in its entirety?

6. Experience teaches that courses tend to "empty out" during the course of the semester. Those who are interested in the topic can usually work well together!

7. Start your own private reading groups, keep in contact with other students and with the Student Council (Fachschaft).

8. Voluntary placements and studies abroad are always good!

9. Read the information sheets and mailing-list messages which the degree program coordinator sends to your campus email address at a tolerable frequency.

10. If things get too confusing for you in philosophy: remember the pianist! A good musician doesn't have to be able to play every instrument.