UPSC Civil Services Main Examination Syllabus - Philosophy

Paper-I
History and Problems of Philosophy 1. Plato and Aristotle: Ideas; Substance; Form and Matter; Causation; Actuality and Potentiality. 2. Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz): Cartesian Method and Certain Knowledge; Substance; God; Mind-Body Dualism; Determinism and Freedom. 3. Empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume): Theory of Knowledge; Substance and Qualities; Self and God; Scepticism. 4. Kant: Possibility of Synthetic a priori Judgments; Space and Time; Categories; Ideas of Reason; Antinomies; Critique of Proofs for the Existence of God 5. Hegel: Dialectical Method; Absolute Idealism 6. Moore, Russell and Early Wittgenstein: Defence of Commonsense; Refutation of Idealism; Logical Atomism; Logical Constructions; Incomplete Symbols; Picture Theory of Meaning; Saying and Showing. 7. Logical Positivism: Verification Theory of Meaning; Metaphysics; Linguistic Theory of Necessary Propositions. Rejection of

8. Later Wittgenstein: Meaning and Use; Language-games; Critique of Private Language. 9. Phenomenology (Husserl): Method; Theory of Essences; Avoidance of Psychologism. 10. Existentialism (Kierkegaard, Sartre, Heidegger): Existence and Essence; Choice, Responsibility and Authentic Existence; Being-in-the world and Temporality. 11. Quine and Strawson: Critique of Empiricism; Theory of Basic Particulars and Persons. 12. Ca-rva-ka : Theory of Knowledge; Rejection of Transcendent Entities. 13. Jainism: Theory of Reality; Saptabhan(ginaya; Bondage and Liberation. 14. Schools of Buddhism: Prati-tyasamutpa-da; Ksanikavada, Naira-tmyava-da 15. Nya-ya- Vais'esika: Theory of Categories; Theory of Appearance; Theory of Prama-na; Self, Liberation; God; Proofs for the Existence of God; Theory of Causation; Atomistic Theory of Creation. 16. Sa-mkhya: Prakrti; Purusa; Causation; Liberation 17. Yoga: Citta; Cittavrtti; Klesas; Samadhi; Kaivalya. 18. Mima-msa-: Theory of Knowledge 19. Schools of Veda-nta: Brahman; I-s'vara; A-tman; Jiva; Jagat; Ma-ya-; Avidya-; Adhya-sa; Moksa; Aprthaksiddhi; Pancavidhabheda 20. Aurobindo: Evolution, Involution; Integral Yoga.

Paper-II
Socio-Political Philosophy 1. Social and Political Ideals: Equality, Justice, Liberty. 2. Sovereignty: Austin, Bodin, Laski, Kautilya. 3. Individual and State: Rights; Duties and Accountability 4. Forms of Government: Monarchy; Theocracy and Democracy. 5. Political Ideologies: Anarchism; Marxism and Socialism 6. Humanism; Secularism; Multiculturalism. 7. Crime and Punishment: Corruption, Mass Violence, Genocide, Capital Punishment. 8. Development and Social Progress. 9. Gender Discrimination: Female Foeticide, Land and Property Rights; Empowernment. 10. Caste Discrimination: Gandhi and Ambedkar Philosophy of Religion: 1. Notions of God: Attributes; Relation to Man and the World. (Indian and Western). 2. Proofs for the Existence of God and their Critique (Indian and Western). 3. Problem of Evil. 4. Soul: Immortality; Rebirth and Liberation. 5. Reason, Revelation and Faith. 6. Religious Experience: Nature and Object (Indian and Western). 7. Religion without God. 8. Religion and Morality. 9. Religious Pluralism and the Problem of Absolute Truth. 10. Nature of Religious Language: Analogical and Symbolic; Cognitivist and Non- cognitive.

Paper-I History and Problems of Philosophy Section-A 1. Plato : Theory of Ideas. 2. Aristotle : Form, Matter and causation. 3. Descartes : Cartesian Method and certain knowledge, God, Mind-Body Dualism. 4. Spinoza : Substance, Attributes and Modes, Pantheism; Bondage and Freedom. 5. Leibnitz : Monads; Theory of Perception God. 6. Locke : Theory of Knowledge, Rejection of Innate Ideas; substance and qualities. 7. Berkeley : Immaterialism, God, Criticism of representative Theory of Perception. 8. Hume : Theory of knowledge, Scepticism Self, Causality. 9. Kant : Distinctions between synthetic and analytic judgements and between aprion and aposteriori judgements, Space, Time Categories, Possibility of Synthetic Apriori Judgements, Ideas of Reason and Antinomics; Criticism of the Proofs for the Existence God. 10. Hegel : Dialectical Method, Absolute Idealism. 11. Precursors of Linguistic Analysis : Moore (Defence of common sense, Reputaion of idealism), Russell (Theory of Descriptions). 12. Logical Atomism : Atomic Facts, Atomic sentences, Logical Constructions and Incomplete Symbols (Rusell), Distinction of saying and showing (Wittgenstein) 13. Logical Positivism : Verification theory and rejection of Metaphysics, Linguistic Theory of Necessary Propositions. 14. Phenomenology : Husserl. 15. Existentiaslism : Kierkegaard, Sartre. 16. Quine : Radical empiricism. 17. Strawson : theory of person.

Section-B 1. Carvaka : Theory Knowledge, Materialism. 2. Jainism : Theory of Reality, Saptabhangi Naya, Bondage and Liberation. 3. Buddhism : Pratityasamutpada, Ksanikavds, airtmyavda, Schools of Buddhism, Sautrantika Theory of Pramana, Ideal of Bodhisattva. 4. Samkhya : Prakriti, Purusa, Theory of Causation, Liberation. 5. Naya-Visesika : Theory of Pramna, Self, Liberation, God and Proofs of Gods Existence, Categories, Theory of Causation, Atomistic theory of Creation. 6. Mimns : Theory of Knowledge. 7. Vednta : Schools of Vednt Sankara, Rmnuja, Madhva (Brahman, Isvara, tman, Jiva, Jagat, My, Avidy Adhys, Moks). Paper-II Section-A Socio-Political Philosophy 1. Political Ideals : Equality, Justice, Liberty. 2. Sovereignty (Austin, Boidin, Laski, Kautilya). 3. Individual and State. 4. Democracy; Concept and forms. 5. Socialism and Marxism. 6. Humanism. 7. Secularism. 8. Theories of punishment. 9. Co-existence and violence; Sarvoday. 10. Gender-Equality. 11. Scientific Temper and Progress.

12. Philosophy of Ecology. Section-B Philosophy of Religion 1. Notions of God : Personalistic, Imparsonalistic, Naturalistic. 2. Prooofs of the Existence of God and their criticisms. 3. Immortality of Soul. 4. Liberation. 5. Problem of Evil. 6. Religious Knowledge : Reason, Revelation and Mysticism. 7. Religion without God. 8. Religion and Morality.