Today, Thursday 16 November, is UNESCO World Philosophy Day, celebrating the enduring value of philosophy for the development of human thought, for each culture and for each individual.
Philosophy is a discipline that encourages critical and independent thought and is capable of working towards a better understanding of the world and promoting tolerance and peace. The Department of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham combines research excellence in a number of areas, with particular expertise in the fields of philosophy of mind, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of religion.
The department hosts the Centre for the Study of Global Ethics, an interdisciplinary research centre working across global ethics areas, including justice, development, environment, health, gender justice, and conflict and security, and the John Hick Centre for Philosophy of Religion, dedicated to promote critical thinking about the metaphysical, epistemological and moral questions concerning religion, belief and reality.
We have a diverse array of funded research projects, from addressing the changing requirements of beauty ideals to exploring alternative concepts of God, and from the logic of plural expressions to understanding delusions and distorted beliefs. You can find our philosophy research projects on the department's website.
Over in the Department of Theology & Religion (the other department that makes the School of Philosophy, Theology & Religion), there are experts in theological philosophy, both in the Christian and Islamic faiths.