Philosophy Dissertation Topics

Instance historic philosophy dissertation matter 1:

‘Bellum omnium contra omnes’ and modern regime change.

Writing through the English Civil Conflict, Hobbes said his perception of the realities of life with out authorities. In elucidating his views additional Hobbes gave no house for separation of powers, arguing as a substitute that man must be dominated by a sovereign authority during which the sovereign authority protects. Accordingly, any abuses of energy that the sovereign might discharge are a reputable worth for the safety and preservation of peace. He did, after all, nevertheless, additionally concede that when a sovereign’s energy to guard isn’t any extra, residents have the suitable to alter allegiance. This dissertation applies the theories and pondering of Hobbe’s to the situations of latest regime change in Libya and Egypt and asks whether or not the success of the revolutionary forces did or didn’t conform to Hobbe’s view of the connection between sovereign authority and residents with regard to energy, safety, peace, and loyalty.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Martinich, A.P. (1993). Philosophy and authorities, 1572-1651. Cambridge: Cambridge College Press.
• Skinner, Q. (1996). Purpose and rhetoric within the philosophy of Hobbes. Cambridge: Cambridge College Press.
• Strauss, L. (1936). The political philosophy of Hobbes; Its foundation and its genesis. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Instance historic philosophy dissertation matter 2:

Breaking free from the cave: Plato’s relevance to modern views of physique picture.

Chained within the cave, Plato’s prisoners solely see that which is positioned earlier than them by the puppeteers. Nothing else might be realised or believed. Such is the extent of management that when one of many prisoners ultimately breaks free and returns to the cave with ‘the reality’ he’s not believed. This dissertation contemporises Plato’s allegory and in so doing questions whether or not the teachings learnt from Plato must be utilized as a ‘actuality verify’ in opposition to media stereotypes and the best way that folks ought to look.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Heidegger, M. (2002). The essence of fact: On Plato’s parable of the cave and the Theaetetus. (English translation of Vom Wesen der Wahrheit, 1988). London: Continuum.
• Myers, P.N. and Biocca, F.A. (1992). ‘The elastic physique picture: The impact of tv promoting and programming on physique picture distortions in younger ladies’, Journal of Communication, Vol. 42, pp. 108-133.
• Shusterman, R. (2008). Physique consciousness: A philosophy of mindfulness and somaesthetics. Cambridge: Cambridge College Press.

Philosophy of Religions

Researching Philosophy from a non secular perspective is a highly regarded approach to full a dissertation. Whether or not you need to talk about non secular experiences, variety or the non secular life, the philosophy of religions may very well be the topic for you!

Instance philosophy of religions dissertation matter 1:

Rousseau, Plato and the idea of civil faith.

Throughout the chapter ‘On civil faith’ of Ebook IV of the Social Contract Rousseau discusses how establishments of state contribute to the preservation of regime. In so doing he means that when residents deviate from common will (when seeing such a course as advantageous) the regime is at its biggest degree of menace. In so doing he might be seen to be echoing the feelings that he expressed within the Second Discourse relating to civil faith as being a authorized establishment. He accordingly notes that “[a]s males started to look to the longer term and as all of them noticed themselves with some items (quelques biens) to lose’, and that ‘there was not one in every of them who didn’t should concern reprisals in opposition to himself for wrongs (torts) he would possibly to do one other,” (Rousseau, Second Discourse, p. 154. Emile, pp. 97-99). Instantly thereafter Rousseau notes the position of Ceres (the Roman God of Harvest) and in so doing might be seen to be utilizing faith as a fundamental for civil regulation. This dissertation seeks to match and distinction Rousseau’s use of gods and civil faith as a method of strengthening the legislator with that utilized by Plato in The Legal guidelines.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Angrosino, M. (2002). ‘Civil faith redux’, Anthropological Quarterly, Vol. 75(2), pp. 239-267.
• Rousseau, J-J. (1979). Emile, or On training. (Translated by A. Bloom.) New York: Primary Books.
• Rousseau, J-J. (1993). Discourse on the origins of inequality (Second Discourse), Polemics, and political economic system. (Translated by J.R. Bush, R.D.
• Masters, C. Kelly, and T. Marshall.) Hanover, NH: Dartmouth College Press.

Instance philosophy of religions dissertation matter 2:

Malebranche, the simplicity of God, and the Catholic Church.

As a seventeenth century thinker, Malebranche, prompt, in his Treatise on Nature and Grace (1680) that God had the ability to stop naturally occurring evils (similar to his mal-formed backbone). He additional argued that God might have, had He so desired, created a greater world than that which He did create. Malebranche additionally prompt that it isn’t God who’s chargeable for sinful actions as a result of such acts derive not from His being or grace however from different sinful brokers. The Roman Catholic Church subsequently positioned the guide on its Index of Prohibited Books in 1690. This dissertation seeks to analyse this work of Malebranche and in addition to put it into its historic context by reviewing the counter contemporaneous philosophical arguments furthered by, for example, Antoine Arnauld and Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Malebranche, N. (1992). Treatise on nature and style. (Translated by P. Riley.) Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• Schmaltz, T. (1996). Malebranche’s concept of the soul. Oxford: Oxford College Press.
• Schumacher, R. (2008). ‘Locke on the intentionality of sensory concepts’, Theories of Notion in Medieval and Early Trendy Philosophy, Vol. 6, pp. 271-283.

Modern Philosophy

If you’re extra within the present social and political points regarding philosophy then modern philosophy could also be a good selection in your dissertation!

Instance modern philosophy dissertation matter 1:

The current world financial disaster: A brand new Kuhnian paradigm shift?

As a twentieth century thinker Kuhn coined the idea ‘paradigm shift’ – when there’s a change of fundamental assumptions. Throughout the area of economics two substantive paradigm shifts might be famous throughout the twentieth century. The primary was the transfer to Keynesianism and its resultantly changing into the precept doctrine of financial coverage making. The second was within the early 1970s when monetarism not solely changed Keynesianism but additionally debased parts of the essential assumptions that had underlined it, specifically, that each fiscal and financial insurance policies had been vital in stabilising inflation. This dissertation questions, given the perceived failings of monetarism via the current financial world disaster whether or not, in making use of the paradigm shift idea of Kuhn, a brand new eco-political actuality is rising during which the bottom assumptions of monetarism (like Keynesian earlier than it) have additionally been discovered wanting.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Colander, D., Holt, R. and Rosser, B. (2004). ‘The altering face of mainstream economics’, Assessment of Political Financial system, Vol. 16(four), pp. 485-499.
• Superb, B. (2002). ‘Economics imperialism and the brand new growth economics as Kuhnian paradigm shift?’, World Growth, Vol. 30(12), pp. 2057-2070.
• Korhonen, J. (2002). ‘The dominant economics paradigm and company social duty’, Company Social Duty and Environmental Administration, Vol. 9, pp. 66-79.

Social and Political Philosophy

Deciding to do your dissertation on society or politics is a unbelievable angle to take when writing your dissertation. Whether or not you have an interest in society and politics of the fashionable day or would favor to take a look at the philosophy of politics from different centuries, social and political philosophy often is the one!

Instance social and political philosophy dissertation matter 1:

The philosophy of wellbeing:

Conventional measures of wellbeing centre upon tangible measurements similar to financial well being, the GDP of countries and revenue. In distinction, this dissertation seems to be on the measurement of well-being by way of happiness. In so doing it seems to be on the state of Bhutan, the one state on this planet to report an official measure of happiness. David Cameron, the UK prime minister beneath the Coalition Authorities, has prompt that the UK, too, ought to measure happiness, a coverage that has been scorned by each ends of the political spectrum. This thesis hopes to indicate that subjective measures of wellbeing via happiness are certainly related and that they’re, due to this fact, as related to problems with public coverage, as extra readily quantifiable measurements pertaining to points similar to knowledge and wealth.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Ash, C. (2007). ‘Happiness and economics: A Buddhist perspective’, Society and Financial system, Vol. 29(2), pp. 201-222.
• Bates, W. (2009). ‘Gross nationwide happiness’, Asian-Pacific Financial Literature, Vol. 23, pp. 1-16.
• Thinley, L.J.Y. (2004). ‘Worth and growth: Gross nationwide happiness’. In, Mukherjee, P.N. and Sengupta, C., Indigeneity and universality in social science: A South Asian response. New Delhi: SAGE, pp. 203-211.

Instance social and political philosophy dissertation matter 2:

Locke and the state of nature: evaluating the critics.

The 17th century thinker John Locke famous that ‘need [lack] of a typical choose, with authority, places all individuals in a state of nature’ and that ‘males residing based on purpose, with no frequent superior on earth, to evaluate between them, is correctly the state of nature’ (1988, p. 19). This dissertation presents three completely different interpretations of what Locke meant by these phrases and thru so doing not solely critiques the work of Locke himself but additionally: Dunn, Simmons, and Strauss.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Dunn, J. (1969). The political considered John Locke. Cambridge: Cambridge College Press.
• Simmons, A.J. (1993). On the sting of anarchy: Locke, consent, and the bounds of society. Princeton: Princeton College Press.
• Strauss, L. (1953). Pure proper and historical past. Chicago: College of Chicago Press.

Instance social and political philosophy dissertation matter Three:

European federalism: A motion in step with Kant’s mannequin of perpetual peace?

In increasing his concept of perpetual peace and the groupings of countries, Kant commented in his three definitive articles within the essay ‘Perpetual peace: A philosophical sketch’ (1795) that, ‘the civil structure of each state must be republican’, ‘the regulation of countries shall be based on a federation of free states’, and ‘the regulation of world citizenship shall be restricted to situations of common hospitality’. He additionally said that the chief must be separate from the legislature. Given the current legislative and government construction of the EU, the creation of a European presidency, and the character of European citizenship, this dissertation seeks to judge the extent to which Kant’s three articles might be seen to be enshrined throughout the constitutional preparations of the growing EU federal state.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Eleftheriades, P. (2007). ‘The thought of a European structure’, Oxford Journal of Authorized Research, Vol. 27(1), pp. 1-21.
• Kagan, R. (2002). ‘Energy and weak spot: Why the US and Europe see the world in another way’, Coverage Assessment, Vol. 113, pp. Three-29.
• Přibáň, J. (2009). ‘The juridification of European identification, its limitations and the search of EU democratic politics’, Constellations, Vol. 16, pp. 44-58.

Ethics

Perhaps ethics is extra for you? Trying into the ethics of people, their morality, the ethics of judgment or the character of ethics may very well be the subject for you!

Instance ethics dissertation matter 1:

What’s an individual? How the 21st century is shaping a modern-day philosophical conundrum.

Designer infants, cloning, reminiscence, persona and IQ enhancing medication are however some points of the fashionable human situation. Genetic manipulation is one other side of recent life via which now we have the scientific talent (if not the authorized framework) to eradicate or change additional traits of human nature. Such developments recommend, at the very least philosophically, that we could also be approaching a time when ‘what it means to be human’ is extra open to debate than hitherto. Certainly, what points of an individual are unchanging and stuck – if any? Musing upon this modern philosophical conundrum, this dissertation seeks solutions not solely via the utilisation of historic core texts of philosophy but additionally via the medium of growing science and ethics. It is a cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary dissertation that has a lot scope for unique thought.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Baumeister, R.F. (2005). The cultural animal: Human nature, that means, and social life. New York: Oxford College Press.
• Hauskeller, M. (2009). ‘Making sense of what we’re: A mythological method to human nature’, Philosophy, Vol. 84(1), pp. 95-109.
• McConnell, T. (2011). ‘Genetic enhancement and ethical attitudes towards the given’, Journal of Utilized Philosophy, Vol. 28, pp. 369-380.

Theorists

Perhaps you’re fascinated by the teachings of particular theorists like Marx, Locke or Plato. If that’s the case, these prompt subjects could also be finest for you:

Instance theorists dissertation matter 1:

The significance for vital concept and Marxism of the Habermas-Gadamer debacle.

The criticisms of Gadamer’s views upon hermeneutics by Habermas in Zue Logik der Sozialwissenschaften (1970) centred upon methodological points within the social sciences and resulted in a protracted tutorial argument that additionally concerned inputs from distinguished contemporaneous philosophers together with Wellmer, Ricouer, and Apel. This dissertation re-examines points the controversy between Habermas and Gadamer and in so doing focuses notably upon problems with linguistic philosophy, the interplay between residing traditions and important concept and the impact that every of those might be seen to have upon Habermas’ interpretation of Marxism each within the 1970s and the current day.

Prompt preliminary matter studying:

• Habermas, J. (1971). Data and human curiosity (English translation). Toronto: Beacon Press.
• Piercey, R. (2004) ‘Ricoeur’s account of custom and the Gadamer-Habermas debate’, Human Research, Vol. 27(Three), pp. 259-280.
• Wellmer, A. (2009). ‘On spirit as part of nature’, Constellations, Vol. 16, pp. 213-226.