Philosophy and Scottish Literature

Philosophy and Scottish literature is a combination that reflects a deep and specific cultural logic. Scotland has produced a philosophical tradition of remarkable richness, from the common sense school of the eighteenth century through the tradition of moral philosophy that shaped the Enlightenment and continues to influence contemporary ethics and political theory. Scottish literature, too, spans an extraordinary range from medieval makars to the Burns tradition, from the novels of Walter Scott to the contemporary fiction of James Kelman and Ali Smith, often engaging with questions of identity, language, social life, and moral experience that connect directly to philosophical inquiry.

Studying the two together is to inhabit a distinctive intellectual tradition from the inside.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year, full-time degree introduces you to both subjects across the first two years before allowing you to deepen your focus as you progress. In philosophy, you will encounter the central problems of epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, and logic, working through arguments carefully and developing the capacity for precise and rigorous analysis. In Scottish literature, you will read widely across the literary tradition, attending to language, form, and context and developing the close interpretive skills that literary study demands.

A year abroad is available, giving you the opportunity to pursue your studies in a different academic and cultural environment. The typical entry tariff of 168 points reflects the academic expectations of a research-intensive university.

Graduates of this combination are well prepared for careers in education, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, the civil service, cultural institutions, arts administration, and the many professional fields where the ability to think rigorously and write clearly is a genuine advantage. Academic careers in either philosophy or Scottish literature require postgraduate study, and the combination provides a distinctive and coherent foundation for doctoral research in either field or at their intersection.