Philosophy is not just a subject, but a way of life. One of the founding phrases of philosophy is Socrates’ famous statement in the fifth century BC: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ In our department we strive to cultivate a questioning, critical life practice in our students—a practice that is as necessary in everyday life as in the work environment. Our students get a thorough grounding in more than twenty-five centuries’ thought-tradition. All content is chosen for its relevance to the ideas and ideologies that shaped, and still shape, South Africa, Africa, and the larger world. This enables our students to be analytical, investigative, participative citizens who contribute to a culture of dialogue and democracy.

Approach

Ours is the only philosophy department at a South African university that focuses on modernity studies, that is, the relationship between tradition and modernity in South Africa as a country that continues to be shaped by both traditional and modern ideas and forces. Over and above a review of the various thinkers and their historical contexts, students are also trained in the following themes, amongst others: the African, Greek, Roman, and Christian foundations of the philosophical tradition; the rise of western modernity and how it affected South Africa; German idealism, critical theory, hermeneutics, and phenomenology; political and cultural diversity; the philosophy of technology; the relationship between philosophy and theology; African and South African intellectual history; and post-colonial philosophy.

Career choices

Students often ask what they can do with philosophy, when the question should perhaps be what philosophy could do for them. Since philosophy is a discipline that allows students to develop an integrated view of the various ideas and forces that shape the contemporary world, the study of philosophy will help students to be better in whatever career they choose. Former students of our department chose careers as varied as:

We have incorporated the Classical Languages modules in our offering and are extremely proud of the new Classical Language module which we have developed inhouse. In 2022, we will expand this module to second year level, with 2023 seeing the implementation of this module at third year level.

Classical Studies (Mythology) celebrates renowned heroes and heroines who battled internal and external monsters, all the while appealing to the gods for their intervention. The presence of mythological aspects in art, film, music, theatre and science is a testament to its persistence as a culturally binding phenomenon. These aspects range from influencing the names of the days of the week—and even the names of our celestial neighbours—to the development of modern psychological theories, such as Sigmund Freud’s Oedipus complex. Much of today’s political and educational systems also owe their existence to the classical civilisations from which they arose.

Classical Studies (Civilisations) aim to understand multiple aspects regarding ancient civilisations. Moreover, it helps us to formalise a fundamental basis of the ancient citizen and their behavioural motivations. The motivation for the foundations of democracy and the dramatic arts are highlighted in both the study of civilisations and mythology respectively.

Classical Languages introduces the student to both Latin and Ancient Greek, as well as the culture, literature, and history of the Roman and Greek civilisations—aspects from which our legal system, governance, Christianity, western literature, philosophy, art and architecture, and much more eventually evolved. Students can expect to read a variety of Roman and Greek authors, and other prevalent authors from classical antiquity.

Career choices

These subjects are ideal for students who want to prepare themselves as:

They are also useful for students who are interested in psychology, sociology, the dramatic arts, religious studies, history, communication sciences, political science, languages and literature, art, drama, and music.