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Philosophy and Bioethics, Ph.D.

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Saint Louis University students interested in both bioethics and philosophy who wish to write a dissertation on bioethics from a philosophical perspective should consider the joint Ph.D. in philosophy and bioethics, offered by the Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics and the Department of Philosophy . Unlike a dual degree, this program offers one degree: a Ph.D. in philosophy and bioethics.

Curriculum Overview

The degree consists of 66 credits: 24 credits in health care ethics, 30 credits in philosophy and 12 dissertation research hours. Pre-comprehensive exam coursework can usually be completed in three years (9 credit hours each fall and spring). Non-coursework requirements include three research tools requirements in library database skills, medical terminology, statistics and study design and written and oral comprehensive exams.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

All joint Ph.D. students take a three-semester, 150-hour clinical practicum to gain experience working in a clinical setting. In addition to these fieldwork opportunities, most Ph.D. students graduate with two or more publications.

Graduates of this program are highly qualified candidates for academic jobs in philosophy departments or bioethics centers, as well as administrative jobs in ethics in health care institutions. 

Admission Requirements

• Transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• Writing sample 
• Professional goals statement

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

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Scholarships, Assistantships and Financial Aid

For priority consideration for a graduate assistantship, apply by the program admission deadlines listed. Fellowships and assistantships provide a stipend and may include health insurance and a tuition scholarship for the duration of the award. 

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• Graduates will be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of foundational philosophical theories and methodologies, historical and contemporary, that inform scholarly analysis of issues in bioethics.
• Graduates will be able to demonstrate a proficiency in formulating original normative philosophical arguments. 
• Graduates will be able to demonstrate a proficiency in combining philosophical theories, concepts or methodologies with those of other disciplines in order to address practical ethical issues that arise in health care contexts.
• Graduates will be able to demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, develop and bring to successful completion an original, sustained and coherent independent research project that contributes to both the fields of philosophy and bioethics.

Non-course  Requirements

Proficiency in a foreign language, if required for research

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 in all graduate/professional courses.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Take the Consuming Empirical Literature exam the first day of class. 

Take the Medical Terminology  exam the first day of class.

An introduction to graduate-level database and library search skills, taught by library faculty.

Written exam and oral exam.

For additional information about our program, please contact:

Harold Braswell, Ph.D.  Graduate program coordinator, health care ethics [email protected]  

Kent Staley, Ph.D. Graduate program coordinator for philosophy [email protected]

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227 Philosophy Thesis Topics To Use Right Now

A philosophy dissertation everyone’s favorite. The long list of philosophers and their allegories or theories is not a subject most students would want to listen to comfortably. However, students still have to write a philosophical thesis in their undergraduate or post-graduate to graduate.

Let us narrow down this elephant in the room for you.

What Is A Philosophical Thesis?

A philosophical paper is not a report of what various scholars have had to say on a particular issue. It is a reasoned defense of a particular thesis. Unlike other papers that present the latest findings of tests or experiments, this paper tries to persuade the reader to give in to a particular point of view together with grounds or justification for its acceptance.

The introduction of a philosophy paper states what the writer is trying to show the reader. When writing a dissertation in philosophy, follow the following simple guidelines for efficiency:

• Very carefully and think about your topic
• Have a rough idea of what you intend to establish
• Determine how you’ll go about convincing the reader that your thesis is correct.

For an outstanding philosophy thesis, ensure that you say what you mean and in a way that minimizes the chances of being misunderstood. It is the general rule thumb for this paper that every student should have at his/her finger-tips.

What To Avoid in a Philosophy Dissertation

Understanding the do’s and don’ts of any paper is essential in ensuring that you stick within the scope of what is required of you. Here are some of the things to avoid in philosophical thesis papers for college:

• Lengthy quotations: It is essential to understand that quotations are an essential part of philosophy papers. However, stating long quotes that run into paragraphs or more does not make your paper sound original. One will only see this as a duplication of another person’s work.
• Circular reasoning: If you presuppose the truth of whatever it is that you are trying to bring out in the course of arguing for it, then you are guilty of begging the question.
• Lengthy introductions: An intro should only serve the purpose of giving the context of your philosophy topic and creating interest in the reader. You can do it in less than four short and precise questions. Overloading your introduction only serves to drain your readers’ energy before they get into the real deal – the body.
• Fence sitting: Most students are guilty of presenting several positions in their papers and then saying they are not qualified to settle the matter. Do not close by saying that philosophers have been divided over a particular issue. That only shows how shallow and scanty you were in your research process.

Always organize your work carefully, using the right words to present your stance without any disputes. The stance should also come out naturally without making the reader feel that you are forcing him/her to ascribe to your particular point of view.

It is also essential to support your arguments with undisputed evidence. Do not assume that your reader may not be skeptical of your arguments. Every reader is skeptical of whatever they read, and if sufficient evidence is not provided, then you might not convince anyone at the end of your 20-page long thesis.

Now, for you to have a strong thesis, ensure that it is:

• Answering a specific question;
• Engaging; one that can be challenged or opposed, thus also defended;
• Passes the “so what? Or why should I care?” test;
• Supported by your paper; and
• Not too broad nor too vague.

To have a strong argument in your philosophical paper, demonstrate these sorts of things that make your opponent’s views false in a fashion that does not presuppose that your position is correct. Your philosophy research topics will play a significant role in supporting this claim.

You can find philosophy research paper topics from:

Early American Imprints of 1639 to 1819 Early English Books Online of 1475 to 1700 Internet archives The War Diaries of Jean-Paul Sartre The Metaphysics of Morals by Emmanuel Kant

And many more sources that are readily available in your college library or online catalogs.

We now advance to our professional philosophy topics list:

Sample Thesis Topics For Philosophy of the Human Sciences

• Critique of mainstream assumptions and practices of human behavior globally
• How are constructions of human nature affect our associations and lineation
• Adopting a human science framework to the problem of racial discrimination in the US
• How to adopt positivism in a world bombarded by negative news all the time
• A rigorous and systematic approach to man’s natural behavior
• The role of the Greek philosophers in shaping human sciences around the 18th century
• How existential phenomenology found its way from Europe
• Cultural and biological dimensions of human science research programs
• The role of qualitative research methods across the discipline of the human sciences
• How humanistic psychology offers more substantive findings in human science tradition
• An evaluation of the colleges and universities dedicated to humanistic/human science philosophy
• Discuss the impact of the American infusionism into the cultures and systems of the world
• Fundamental tenets of Western civilization in developing countries
• An assessment of the ancient nature of human interactions
• Political and cultural standards acceptable to all human interactions

Philosophy Potential Senior Thesis Topics

• A philosophical perspective of evil actions and evil persons
• How the ideology of Darwinism has affected the aspect of natural selection
• Distinguishing the underlying differences between intervention and information
• Psychoanalysis of melancholia in teenagers
• Investigating the use of biology in dealing with human philosophical issues
• The evolution of philosophical writings from the 15th century to the 21st century
• Examine the connection between shame and an immoral piece of art
• How depression relates to natural and interactive children
• What is the logic behind nightmares and madness in dreams?
• An investigation of how man is adapting to the invasion of privacy by new technologies
• The ethical and practical arguments against voluntary euthanasia
• Discuss the relationship between value, dignity, and human virtue in the Modern Virtue Theory
• The evolution of personal and corporate responsibility in the 21st century
• Trends in sex and sexuality as seen in the 21st century
• Why arousal of an emotion in the listener is essential in the delivery of any speech

Undergraduate Philosophy Thesis Topics

• Modern science: Should we employ a monistic or pluralistic model?
• How moral philosophy can help improve our understanding of folk psychology
• Why is it close to impossible to escape mental externalism?
• The emergence of technology and resulting bioethics as seen in the 21st century
• Investigate the willingness to accept punishment after committing a civil crime
• Why artificial intelligence may not be a genuinely creative entity
• Discuss empathy, fiction, and morality in the development of fiction stories and folklores
• The role of sporting activities in developing virtues and morals in the society
• Is voluntary suicide justified for any reason whatsoever?
• Why postmodern philosophical theories and market anarchism are enemies
• Discuss the ultimate goal of humanity in the backdrop of the changing roles
• Give a detailed analysis of the relationship between fate, destiny, and free will
• What is the essence of dreams and visions to man?
• Evaluate the sources of your self-worth in the light of personal attributes
• What is the impact of a person’s name on who they become in the future?

Best-Rated Political Philosophy Thesis Topics

• Consider the dividing line between distributive justice and the family
• Investigate the gendered basis for care and caregiving
• What are the underlying differences between multiculturalism and feminism
• Discuss the liberal versus radical feminist positions on pornography
• How social beings should live together considering the underlying differences
• Following the example of Plato, discuss what it means to have an ideal society
• Given the knowledge and resources available, discuss the best form of society using the US as a case study
• The evolution of democracy in the US presidential election
• How the history of the past several centuries has impacted the role of citizens in participation in democracy
• What is the essence of having a conservative free-market economy in the 21st century?
• The role of the government in regulating the economy
• Should the economy incorporate both capitalist and socialist structures?
• Do we have an economically viable socialist alternative to capitalism?
• Is it worth fighting for an economically viable alternative to capitalism?
• The conservative view of the post-World-War-Two period

Thesis Topics on the Renaissance and Philosophy

• The impact of the renaissance period o man’s view of the world
• Compare and contrast the High Renaissance in Rome as compared to the of Northern Europe
• The impact of the scientific revolution on the renaissance period
• The early renaissance period in Florence and the existence of the Flemish art
• Discuss the contributions of some of the godfathers of the Renaissance
• The perfect interplay between music and painting during the renaissance period
• The humanist intellectual, cultural, and artistic revolution of the Renaissance
• Religious symbolism and naturalistic beauty as exemplified in the renaissance period
• The role of sexuality and eroticism in the works of the 16th-century renaissance art
• How the discoveries of the renaissance period helped shape people’s attitudes towards life
• Identify and explain the role of the Carolingian Renaissance on the Bible
• The impact of the Great migration and economic changes on literature and art
• Discuss how art patronage was conducted in Italy during the Renaissance
• How science has made advancements in renaissance culture and art
• Impacts of the early Renaissance on the medical innovations

Master Thesis Topics in Philosophy

• Discuss the benefits and impacts of the renaissance period on the man
• How the renaissance period played a part in the reformation of the world
• A comparative analysis of philosophy, art, and culture during the Renaissance
• How much influence did the renaissance period have on dressing?
• Conduct a critical analysis of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance
• The contribution of sculptors of the Italian Renaissance
• Discuss artistic renaissance humanism during 1400 and 1650
• The Renaissance and religion: A case study of the Catholic church
• Artistic revolution as a significant element of the Renaissance
• The role of William Shakespeare in the renaissance period
• Discuss the classical and Renaissance humanities art of the Greco-Roman artists
• The cultural, economic, and political influence of the Renaissance
• The age of revolutionary, Renaissance, and enlightenment period
• The representation of nature in the European renaissance artistic works
• How Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Rafael contributed to the new era of the Renaissance

Introduction to Philosophy Thesis Topics

• Discuss whether people are good or evil by nature
• What are the limitations to free will in making personal decisions?
• What is the impact of the belief in God on a person’s way of life?
• Discuss the compatibility issues between science with religion
• Give a detailed argument for or against utilitarianism
• What is the logic behind psychological and ethical egoism?
• Ascertain the relevance of morals to culture or society
• The role of Aesop’s fables in contributing to human philosophy
• Discuss the history and development of African philosophy
• What are the central tenets of African Sage Philosophy?
• The critical role played by altruism and group selection
• Conduct a detailed analysis of the American Enlightenment Thought
• How does the American Wilderness Philosophy vary from that of today?
• A case study of Anselm’s Ontological Argument for the Existence of God
• Critically evaluate motion and its place in nature
• Discuss association in the philosophy of the mind
• How Bolzano’s mathematical knowledge played a crucial role in human philosophy

Thesis Papers Topics on Buddhist Philosophy

• The view of sin and punishment between the Buddhist and Hindu religions
• Buddhist believe in rebirth, which is determined by the actions one does in daily life.
• Misconceptions about sexuality in the Buddhist religion
• Discuss the relationship between Shinto with China and Buddhism
• Analyze the four noble truths of Buddhism
• The concept of salvation according to the Zen Buddhism religion
• A detailed study of the confluence of Buddhism and Hinduism in India
• An analysis of the faith and practices of Buddhism as a religion in India
• The role of Mahatma Gandhi in advancing the ideologies and practices of Buddhism
• Evaluate the vase of treasure hidden in the Buddhist iconography
• Compare and contrast the various variations between Buddhism and Christianity
• Elements of the Buddhism religion that make it sacred
• Discuss the concept of anger and how to manage it in the Buddhism religion
• Cultural histories and the expansion of the Buddhism religion in China
• Differences in the Japanese versus Chinese Buddhism practices

Types of Philosophy Thesis Topics

• Discuss the role of aesthetics in the study of philosophy
• How epistemology has contributed to the growth in philosophical literature
• Elaborate the role of ethics on the survivability of a society
• How logic has been crucial in making rational decisions in a man
• What are the limitations of metaphysics as a branch of philosophy?
• Analyze the philosophy of mind given the fundamental tenets
• Discuss the major revolutions of the African philosophy
• Why does Eastern philosophy have a lower absorption rate?
• Reasons why Western philosophy has a greater acceptance in the world as compared to others
• Give the unique characteristics of the ancient and classical philosophy
• Why the medieval and post-classical philosophies have a place in the modern world
• The modern and contemporary philosophy in terms of improvements
• Discuss the philosophy of language theories and stances in Europe
• What is the impact of the philosophy of science theories and stances?
• Discuss the epistemological stances of different philosophical schools of thought

Epistemology Paper Topics

• The concept of skepticism among different readers
• Analyze the internalist vs. externalist accounts of knowledge and justification
• Discuss the structure of knowledge and justification
• What contributes to contextualism in epistemology?
• Impacts of the relevant alternative accounts of knowledge
• Discuss the pros and cons of the epistemology of lotteries
• A case study of foundationalism and coherentism
• The impacts of facts and beliefs on people
• Is skepticism doomed to an inevitable defeat?
• Arguments and positions in epistemology in the 21st century
• The pros and cons of different positions in epistemology
• Relevant arguments and principles in epistemology: A case of The Closure Principle
• Critically discuss Shoemaker’s ‘self-blindness’ concept
• How the epistemology of attitudes like the belief is very different from the epistemology of other mental states
• Fundamental flaws in various epistemological theories

High-Quality Philosophy Project Topics

• Discuss the concept of happiness
• Why egoism is a negative trait
• Discuss the motive behind acts of charity
• Is love merely an illusion of the mind?
• Are criminals evil by nature?
• Is the current generation less affectionate?
• Discuss the concept of true friendship
• Is there happiness in achieving nothing?
• Does a perfect life exist?
• Why do people struggle to attain perfectionism?
• The impact of technology of taking away emotions
• Analyze time management among high school versus campus students
• Is obsession replacing true love?
• Is the concept of ‘You Only Live Once’ viable?
• Why are most geniuses’ introverts?

Easy Philosophy Paper Topics

• Discuss the existence of fate in the modern world
• Can we achieve an ideal society?
• Is life meaningful after all?
• Why should people work, yet they will die in the end?
• Is the concept of feminism overhyped?
• Is every human action predetermined?
• Discuss the components of the human consciousness
• Why do people tend to do the bad instead of the good?
• Are atheists deceiving themselves?
• Why is the world changing so fast?
• Is there life after death?
• Why must everyone go to school?
• Who determines what clothes each gender should don?
• The impact of religious beliefs on science
• Does death usher in the new life?

Top Philosophical Topics To Write About

• Will the world ever come to an end?
• Why do people have different religions?
• Does stealing originate from the person’s mind?
• Who is responsible for the rot in the society
• The role of parents in instilling morals
• Why do people believe in revenge?
• What makes man different from animals?
• Why should we care about our neighbors?
• Is humility a virtue for ladies?
• Why are most men aggressive
• Discuss the role of sleeping at night
• Should people eat food after all?
• Is man the biggest threat to himself?
• Is the judicial system serving justice?
• Will robots make the world better?

Good Philosophy Topics

• Do beliefs and superstitions match?
• Is sex necessary?
• Why should people love each other?
• Should a woman head the house also?
• Are other planets mere superstitions?
• Are the stars in the sky fantasies?
• Why bother about planning?
• Do aliens exist?
• Why is man rational?
• What is the effect of finding a purpose in life
• Do shooting stars fall on earth?
• Why do fiction movies move people?
• Does the moon exist?
• Are we living reality or a fantasy?
• Can one love more than two people?

Interesting Philosophy Topics

• Was man made out of clay?
• Do guns protect?
• Does true love exist among teenagers?
• Beauty and morality
• Religion and power
• Memories and love
• Peace and war
• Religion and own belief system
• Angels and demons
• Heaven and earth
• Plastic surgery and ethics
• Character and upbringing
• Dreams and the future
• The rich and the poor
• Is death inevitable

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > Philosophy > Theses and Dissertations

Philosophy Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

On the Possibility of Secular Morality , Zachary R. Alonso

An Ecofeminist Ontological Turn: Preparing the Field for a New Ecofeminist Project , M. Laurel-Leigh Meierdiercks

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Karl Marx on Human Flourishing and Proletarian Ethics , Sam Badger

The Ontological Grounds of Reason: Psychologism, Logicism, and Hermeneutic Phenomenology , Stanford L. Howdyshell

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Interdisciplinary Communication by Plausible Analogies: the Case of Buddhism and Artificial Intelligence , Michael Cooper

Heidegger and the Origin of Authenticity , John J. Preston

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Hegel and Schelling: The Emptiness of Emptiness and the Love of the Divine , Sean B. Gleason

Nietzsche on Criminality , Laura N. McAllister

Learning to be Human: Ren 仁, Modernity, and the Philosophers of China's Hundred Days' Reform , Lucien Mathot Monson

Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence: Methods, Archives, History, and Genesis , William A. B. Parkhurst

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Orders of Normativity: Nietzsche, Science and Agency , Shane C. Callahan

Humanistic Climate Philosophy: Erich Fromm Revisited , Nicholas Dovellos

This, or Something like It: Socrates and the Problem of Authority , Simon Dutton

Climate Change and Liberation in Latin America , Ernesto O. Hernández

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa as Expressions of Shame in a Post-Feminist , Emily Kearns

Nostalgia and (In)authentic Community: A Bataillean Answer to the Heidegger Controversy , Patrick Miller

Cultivating Virtue: A Thomistic Perspective on the Relationship Between Moral Motivation and Skill , Ashley Potts

Identity, Breakdown, and the Production of Knowledge: Intersectionality, Phenomenology, and the Project of Post-Marxist Standpoint Theory , Zachary James Purdue

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Efficacy of Comedy , Mark Anthony Castricone

William of Ockham's Divine Command Theory , Matthew Dee

Heidegger's Will to Power and the Problem of Nietzsche's Nihilism , Megan Flocken

Abelard's Affective Intentionalism , Lillian M. King

Anton Wilhelm Amo's Philosophy and Reception: from the Origins through the Encyclopédie , Dwight Kenneth Lewis Jr.

"The Thought that we Hate": Regulating Race-Related Speech on College Campuses , Michael McGowan

A Historical Approach to Understanding Explanatory Proofs Based on Mathematical Practices , Erika Oshiro

From Meaningful Work to Good Work: Reexamining the Moral Foundation of the Calling Orientation , Garrett W. Potts

Reasoning of the Highest Leibniz and the Moral Quality of Reason , Ryan Quandt

Fear, Death, and Being-a-problem: Understanding and Critiquing Racial Discourse with Heidegger’s Being and Time , Jesús H. Ramírez

The Role of Skepticism in Early Modern Philosophy: A Critique of Popkin's "Sceptical Crisis" and a Study of Descartes and Hume , Raman Sachdev

How the Heart Became Muscle: From René Descartes to Nicholas Steno , Alex Benjamin Shillito

Autonomy, Suffering, and the Practice of Medicine: A Relational Approach , Michael A. Stanfield

The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics , Zachary T. Vereb

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Augustine's Confessiones : The Battle between Two Conversions , Robert Hunter Craig

The Strategic Naturalism of Sandra Harding's Feminist Standpoint Epistemology: A Path Toward Epistemic Progress , Dahlia Guzman

Hume on the Doctrine of Infinite Divisibility: A Matter of Clarity and Absurdity , Wilson H. Underkuffler

Climate Change: Aristotelian Virtue Theory, the Aidōs Response and Proper Primility , John W. Voelpel

The Fate of Kantian Freedom: the Kant-Reinhold Controversy , John Walsh

Time, Tense, and Ontology: Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Tense, the Phenomenology of Temporality, and the Ontology of Time , Justin Brandt Wisniewski

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

A Phenomenological Approach to Clinical Empathy: Rethinking Empathy Within its Intersubjective and Affective Contexts , Carter Hardy

From Object to Other: Models of Sociality after Idealism in Gadamer, Levinas, Rosenzweig, and Bonhoeffer , Christopher J. King

Humanitarian Military Intervention: A Failed Paradigm , Faruk Rahmanovic

Active Suffering: An Examination of Spinoza's Approach to Tristita , Kathleen Ketring Schenk

Cartesian Method and Experiment , Aaron Spink

An Examination of John Burton’s Method of Conflict Resolution and Its Applicability to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , John Kenneth Steinmeyer

Speaking of the Self: Theorizing the Dialogical Dimensions of Ethical Agency , Bradley S. Warfield

Changing Changelessness: On the Genesis and Development of the Doctrine of Divine Immutability in the Ancient and Hellenic Period , Milton Wilcox

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Statue that Houses the Temple: A Phenomenological Investigation of Western Embodiment Towards the Making of Heidegger's Missing Connection with the Greeks , Michael Arvanitopoulos

An Exploratory Analysis of Media Reporting of Police Involved Shootings in Florida , John L. Brown

Divine Temporality: Bonhoeffer's Theological Appropriation of Heidegger's Existential Analytic of Dasein , Nicholas Byle

Stoicism in Descartes, Pascal, and Spinoza: Examining Neostoicism’s Influence in the Seventeenth Century , Daniel Collette

Phenomenology and the Crisis of Contemporary Psychiatry: Contingency, Naturalism, and Classification , Anthony Vincent Fernandez

A Critique of Charitable Consciousness , Chioke Ianson

writing/trauma , Natasha Noel Liebig

Leibniz's More Fundamental Ontology: from Overshadowed Individuals to Metaphysical Atoms , Marin Lucio Mare

Violence and Disagreement: From the Commonsense View to Political Kinds of Violence and Violent Nonviolence , Gregory Richard Mccreery

Kant's Just War Theory , Steven Charles Starke

A Feminist Contestation of Ableist Assumptions: Implications for Biomedical Ethics, Disability Theory, and Phenomenology , Christine Marie Wieseler

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Heidegger and the Problem of Modern Moral Philosophy , Megan Emily Altman

The Encultured Mind: From Cognitive Science to Social Epistemology , David Alexander Eck

Weakness of Will: An Inquiry on Value , Michael Funke

Cogs in a Cosmic Machine: A Defense of Free Will Skepticism and its Ethical Implications , Sacha Greer

Thinking Nature, "Pierre Maupertuis and the Charge of Error Against Fermat and Leibniz" , Richard Samuel Lamborn

John Duns Scotus’s Metaphysics of Goodness: Adventures in 13th-Century Metaethics , Jeffrey W. Steele

A Gadamerian Analysis of Roman Catholic Hermeneutics: A Diachronic Analysis of Interpretations of Romans 1:17-2:17 , Steven Floyd Surrency

A Natural Case for Realism: Processes, Structures, and Laws , Andrew Michael Winters

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Leibniz's Theodicies , Joseph Michael Anderson

Aeschynē in Aristotle's Conception of Human Nature , Melissa Marie Coakley

Ressentiment, Violence, and Colonialism , Jose A. Haro

It's About Time: Dynamics of Inflationary Cosmology as the Source of the Asymmetry of Time , Emre Keskin

Time Wounds All Heels: Human Nature and the Rationality of Just Behavior , Timothy Glenn Slattery

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Nietzsche and Heidegger on the Cartesian Atomism of Thought , Steven Burgess

Embodying Social Practice: Dynamically Co-Constituting Social Agency , Brian W. Dunst

Subject of Conscience: On the Relation between Freedom and Discrimination in the Thought of Heidegger, Foucault, and Butler , Aret Karademir

Climate, Neo-Spinozism, and the Ecological Worldview , Nancy M. Kettle

Eschatology in a Secular Age: An Examination of the Use of Eschatology in the Philosophies of Heidegger, Berdyaev and Blumenberg , John R. Lup, Jr.

Navigation and Immersion of the American Identity in a Foreign Culture to Emergence as a Culturally Relative Ambassador , Lee H. Rosen

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

A Philosophical Analysis of Intellectual Property: In Defense of Instrumentalism , Michael A. Kanning

A Commentary On Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's Discourse on Metaphysics #19 , Richard Lamborn Samuel Lamborn

Sellars in Context: An Analysis of Wilfrid Sellars's Early Works , Peter Jackson Olen

The New Materialism: Althusser, Badiou, and Zizek , Geoffrey Dennis Pfeifer

Structure and Agency: An Analysis of the Impact of Structure on Group Agents , Elizabeth Kaye Victor

Moral Friction, Moral Phenomenology, and the Improviser , Benjamin Scott Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

The Virtuoso Human: A Virtue Ethics Model Based on Care , Frederick Joseph Bennett

The Existential Compromise in the History of the Philosophy of Death , Adam Buben

Philosophical Precursors to the Radical Enlightenment: Vignettes on the Struggle Between Philosophy and Theology From the Greeks to Leibniz With Special Emphasis on Spinoza , Anthony John Desantis

The Problem of Evil in Augustine's Confessions , Edward Matusek

The Persistence of Casuistry: a Neo-premodernist Approach to Moral Reasoning , Richard Arthur Mercadante

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Dewey's Pragmatism and the Great Community , Philip Schuyler Bishop

Unamuno's Concept of the Tragic , Ernesto O. Hernandez

Rethinking Ethical Naturalism: The Implications of Developmental Systems Theory , Jared J.. Kinggard

From Husserl and the Neo-Kantians to Art: Heidegger's Realist Historicist Answer to the Problem of the Origin of Meaning , William H. Koch

Queering Cognition: Extended Minds and Sociotechnologically Hybridized Gender , Michele Merritt

Hydric Life: A Nietzschean Reading of Postcolonial Communication , Elena F. Ruiz-Aho

Descartes' Bête Machine, the Leibnizian Correction and Religious Influence , John Voelpel

Aretē and Physics: The Lesson of Plato's Timaeus , John R. Wolfe

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Praxis and Theōria : Heidegger’s “Violent” Interpretation , Megan E. Altman

On the Concept of Evil: An Analysis of Genocide and State Sovereignty , Jason J. Campbell

The Role of Trust in Judgment , Christophe Sage Hudspeth

Truth And Judgment , Jeremy J. Kelly

The concept of action and responsibility in Heidegger's early thought , Christian Hans Pedersen

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Philosophy Dissertations and Theses

The Department of Philosophy Dissertations and Theses Series is comprised of dissertations and theses authored by Marquette University's Department of Philosophy doctoral and master's students.

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Place, Attachment, and Feeling: Indigenous Dispossession and Settler Belonging , Sarah Kizuk

Nepantla and Mestizaje: A Phenomenological Analysis of the Mestizx Historical Consciousness , Jorge Alfredo Montiel

The Categories Argument for the Real Distinction Between Being and Essence: Avicenna, Aquinas, and Their Greek Sources , Nathaniel Taylor

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Modeling, Describing, and Explaining Subjective Consciousness- A Guide to (and for) the Perplexed , Peter Burgess

Looking Through Whiteness: Objectivity, Racism, Method, and Responsibility , Philip Mack

Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Maritain on the Student-Teacher Relationship in Catholic Higher Education , Timothy Rothhaar

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

The Empathetic Autistic: A Phenomenological Look at the Feminine Experience , Dana Fritz

Concerning Aristotelian Animal Essences , Damon Andrew Watson

When to Trust Authoritative Testimony: Generation and Transmission of Knowledge in Saadya Gaon, Al-Ghazālī and Thomas Aquinas , Brett A. Yardley

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Status of Irrationality: Karl Jaspers' Response to Davidson and Searle , Daniel Adsett

Cosmic City - Cosmic Teleology: A Reading of Metaphysics Λ 10 and Politics I 2 , Brandon Henrigillis

Phenomenal Consciousness: An Husserlian Approach , John Jered Janes

Al-Fārābī Metaphysics, and the Construction of Social Knowledge: Is Deception Warranted if it Leads to Happiness? , Nicholas Andrew Oschman

The Epistemology of Disagreement: Hume, Kant, and the Current Debate , Robert Kyle Whitaker

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

'Our Feet are Mired In the Same Soil': Deepening Democracy with the Political Virtue of Sympathetic Inquiry , Jennifer Lynn Kiefer Fenton

Towards a Philosophy of the Musical Experience: Phenomenology, Culture, and Ethnomusicology in Conversation , J. Tyler Friedman

Humor, Power and Culture: A New Theory on the Experience and Ethics of Humor , Jennifer Marra

Care of the Sexual Self: Askesis As a Route to Sex Education , Shaun Douglas Miller

Re-Evaluating Augustinian Fatalism through the Eastern and Western Distinction between God's Essence and Energies , Stephen John Plecnik

The Fantastic Structure of Freedom: Sartre, Freud, and Lacan , Gregory A. Trotter

The Province of Conceptual Reason: Hegel's Post-Kantian Rationalism , William Clark Wolf

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Hume on Thick and Thin Causation , Alexander Bozzo

Evolution, Naturalism, and Theism: An Inconsistent Triad? , David H. Gordon

The Parable As Mirror: An Examination of the Use of Parables in the Works of Kierkegaard , Russell Hamer

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Contextualizing Aquinas's Ontology of Soul: An Analysis of His Arabic and Neoplatonic Sources , Nathan McLain Blackerby

The Social and Historical Subject in Sartre and Foucault and Its Implications for Healthcare Ethics , Kimberly Siobhan Engels

Investigations of Worth: Towards a Phenomenology of Values , Dale Hobbs Jr.

Hegel and the Problem of the Multiplicity of Conflicting Philosophies , Matthew M. Peters

Aquinas, Averroes, and the Human Will , Traci Ann Phillipson

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Nature, Feminism, and Flourishing: Human Nature and the Feminist Ethics of Flourishing , Celeste D. Harvey

Developing Capabilities: A Feminist Discourse Ethics Approach , Chad Kleist

Kierkegaard in Light of the East: A Critical Comparison of the Philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard with Orthodox Christian Philosophy and Thought , Agust Magnusson

The Secular Transformation of Pride and Humility in the Moral Philosophy of David Hume , Kirstin April Carlson McPherson

Living within the Sacred Tension: Paradox and Its Significance for Christian Existence in the Thought of Søren Kierkegaard , Matthew Thomas Nowachek

Moral Imagination and Adorno: Before and After Auschwitz , Catlyn Origitano

Essence and Necessity, and the Aristotelian Modal Syllogistic: A Historical and Analytical Study , Daniel James Vecchio

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Subversive Humor , Chris A. Kramer

Virtue, Oppression, and Resistance Struggles , Trevor William Smith

Health As Embodied Authenticity , Margaret Steele

Recognition and Political Ontology: Fichte, Hegel, and Honneth , Velimir Stojkovski

The Conceptual Priority of the Perfect , Matthew Peter Zdon

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Dangerous Knowledge? Morality And Moral Progress After Naturalism , Daniel Diederich Farmer

Nietzsche's Revaluation of All Values , Joseph Anthony Kranak

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Re-Enchanting The World: An Examination Of Ethics, Religion, And Their Relationship In The Work Of Charles Taylor , David McPherson

Thomas Aquinas on the Apprehension of Being: The Role of Judgement in Light of Thirteenth-Century Semantics , Rosa Vargas Della Casa

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Naturalized Panpsychism: An Alternative to Fundamentalist Physicalism and Supernaturalism , Earl R. Cookson

The Concept of Personhood in the Phenomenology of Edmund Husserl , Colin J. Hahn

The Humanistic, Fideistic Philosophy of Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560) , Charles William Peterson

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Knowledge and Thought in Heidegger and Foucault: Towards an Epistemology of Ruptures , Arun Anantheeswaran Iyer

William James's Undivided Self and the Possibility of Immortality , Anthony Karlin

The Poetics of Remembrance: Communal Memory and Identity in Heidegger and Ricoeur , David Leichter

The Ontological Foundations for Natural Law Theory and Contemporary Ethical Naturalism , Bernard Mauser

Sexualized Violence, Moral Disintegration and Ethical Advocacy , Melissa Mosko

Spinoza on Individuals and Individuation: Metaphysics, Morals, and Politics , Matthew David Wion

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

The Paradox of Nature: Merleau-Ponty's Semi-Naturalistic Critique of Husserlian Phenomenology , Shazad Akhtar

Hume's Conception of Time and its Implications for his Theories of Causation and Induction , Daniel Esposito

Arabic Influences in Aquinas's Doctrine of Intelligible Species , Max Herrera

The Attestation of the Self as a Bridge Between Hermeneutics and Ontology in the Philosophy of Paul Ricoeur , Sebastian Kaufmann

Love's Lack: The Relationship between Poverty and Eros in Plato's Symposium , Lorelle D. Lamascus

Friendship and Fidelity: An Historical and Critical Examination , Joshua Walter Schulz

Natural Law Theory and the "Is"--"Ought" Problem: A Critique of Four Solutions , Shalina Stilley

Attending to Presence: A Study of John Duns Scotus' Account of Sense Cognition , Amy F. Whitworth

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Friendship and Self-Identity in the Thought of Paul Ricoeur , Cristina Bucur

The Finality of Religion in Aquinas' Theory of Human Acts , Francisco José Romero Carrasquillo

The finality of religion in Aquinas' theory of human acts , Francisco J Romero

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Self-Identity in Comparative Theology: The Functional lmportance of Charles Taylor's Concept of the Self for a Theology of Religions , Richard Joseph Hanson

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Husserl's Noema: A Critical Assessment of the Gestalt and Analytic Interpretations , Peter M. Chukwu

A Social Contract Analysis of Rawls and Rousseau: Supplanting the Original Position As Philosophically Most Favored , Paul Neiman

To Validate a Feeling: the Role of the Mood of Angst in Human Being , Gregory P. Schulz

The Conception and Attributes of God: A Comparison of Charles Sanders Peirce and Alfred North Whitehead , Scott W. Sinclair

John Rawls, Public Reason, and Natural Law: A Study of the Principles of Public Justification , Christopher Ward

Submissions from 2006 2006

Hans Jonas's ethic of responsibility applied to anti-aging technologies and the indefinite extension of the human life span , Jeffrey P Goins

David Hume and the Principle of Sufficient Reason , Ginger Lee

Virtue Theory in Plato's Republic , Griffin T. Nelson

The Principle of Alternate Possibilities: Finding Freedom after Frankfurt , Matthew F. Pierlott

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Is There a Future for Marxist Humanism? , Jacob M. Held

Self-Love and Morality: Beyond Egoism and Altruism , Li Jing

Eikos Logos and Eikos Muthos: A Study of the Nature of the Likely Story in Plato's Timaeus , Ryan Kenneth McBride

Hume's Conclusions on the Existence and Nature of God , Timothy S. Yoder

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

The Foundations of the Politics of Difference , Peter Nathaniel Bwanali

The foundations of the politics of difference , Peter Nathaniel Bwanali

The Place of Justice in the Thinking of Emmanuel Levinas , Michael H. Gillick

New Waves in Metaethics: Naturalist Realism, Naturalist Antirealism and Divine Commands , Daniel R. Kern

Reason in Hume's Moral System , John Muenzberg

Conceiving Mind: A Critique of Descartes' Dualism and Contemporary Immaterialist Views of Consciousness , Kristin P. Schaupp

Respecting Plurality in Times of Change: Hannah Arendt's Conceptions of Political, Personal, and Ethical Responsibility , Stephen Schulman

Francis Suárez on the Ontological Status of Individual Unity vis-à-vis the Aristotelian Doctrine of Primary Substance , John W. Simmons

Through a Glass Darkly: Bernard Lonergan and Richard Rorty on the Possibility of Knowing Without a God's-Eye-View , Russell Snell

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

Building a Heideggerian Ethic , Kelly A. Burns

St. Thomas Aquinas and the Self-Evident Proposition: A Study of the Manifold Senses of a Medieval Concept , Michael V. Dougherty

Ricoeur's Narrative Development of Gadamer's Hermeneutics: Continuity and Discontinuity , Keith D'Souza

Beauty's Resting Place: Unity in St. Augustine's Sensible Aesthetic , Matthew J. Hayes

Empathy and Knowledge: Husserl's Introductions to Phenomenology , Kevin Hermberg

The Transactional Model: A Critical Examination of John Dewey's Philosophy of Freedom , Mark N. Lenker III

Reflection on the "good" As a Source of Freedom in Virtue Theory , John D. Morse

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

An Evaluation of Alvin Plantinga's Religious Epistemology Does It Function Properly? , James Beilby

Merleau-Ponty: Embodied Subjectivity and the Foundation of Ethics , Sarah A. Fischer

Kant on Love for Oneself: Why Respect for the Moral Law, But not the Desire for Happiness, is a moral incentive , Lawrence Masek

Essence, Individuation, and Artifact: An Aristotelian Model for Familiar Concrete Particulars , Chad V. Meister

Normative Strategies for Resolving Human Rights Conflicts , Eugene T. Rice

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This collection contains some of the theses and dissertations produced by students in the University of Oregon Philosophy Graduate Program. Paper copies of these and other dissertations and theses are available through the UO Libraries .

Recent Submissions

• Making and Unmaking Worlds: Towards Liberation Beyond Subjectivity  Friaz, Ricardo ( University of Oregon , 2024-08-07 ) This dissertation develops the concept of liberation by questioning what it means to destroy, abolish, and create worlds. I develop a critical position towards agential or subject-based accounts of liberation in order to ...
• A Critical Feminist Semiology: De-naturalizing and Re-Politicizing Patriarchal, White Supremacist, and Settler-Colonial Systems of Meaning  Ring, Annalee ( University of Oregon , 2024-08-07 ) This dissertation de-naturalizes and re-politicizes patriarchal, white supremacist and settler-colonial systems of meaning through creating a methodology of critical feminist semiology. This methodology is built from the ...
• Critical Phenomenology of Illness: Towards a Politics of Care  McLay , Sarah ( University of Oregon , 2024-08-07 ) Working at the intersection of phenomenology and critical disability studies, this dissertation develops a critical phenomenology of illness and health. Moving beyond classical phenomenologies of illness—which center on ...
• The Problem of Freedom and Universality: Marxian Philosophical Anthropology  Ralda, Oscar ( University of Oregon , 2024-03-25 ) This dissertation has two principal aims. First, it provides a critical reconsideration of Marx’s philosophical anthropology as it bears on the essential continuity of his emancipatory critique of political economy. Second, ...
• Living Legality: Law and Dussel's Philosophy of Liberation  Ospina Martinez, Juan Sebastián ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) In this dissertation I examine the theoretical underpinnings necessary for a philosophy of liberationaccount of law and suggest an alternative conceptualization of the function of law and political institutions, following ...
• Making Sense of the Practical Lesbian Past: Towards a Rethinking of Untimely Uses of History through the Temporality of Cultural Techniques  Simon, Valérie ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) This dissertation focuses on the practice of untimely uses of lesbian history, and in particular the diverse practices of engagement with lesbian activist history, all of which aim to mobilize this activist history for the ...
• An Argument for a Cartographic Approach to Technology  McLevey, Mare ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-09 ) This dissertation develops a way to study technology and politics that is an alternative to dominant approaches particular to contemporary philosophy of technology’s empirical and ethical turns. Dominant models fix ...
• Nietzsche, Reification, and Open Comportment  Currie, Luke ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-09 ) This work primarily discusses the “fallacy of reification” from the perspective of Nietzsche’s late philosophy (particularly in the chapter on ‘Reason’ in philosophy in his Twilight of the Idols). While reification is ...
• Time, Capitalism, and Political Ecology: Toward and Ecosocialist Metabolic Temporality  Gamble, Cameron ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-26 ) The ecological crises that have already marked the 21st century, and which will continue to do so on an increasingly intense and destructive scale, present theory in every discipline and field of study with a number of ...
• Demystifying Racial Monopoly  Haller, Reese ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) Through analysis of private, public, and state reactions to the Great Depression and northward black migration, this thesis demystifies four key functions of race constitutive of capitalist racial monopoly: historical ...
• Pragmatism, Genealogy, and Moral Status  Showler, Paul ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) This dissertation draws from recent work in pragmatism and philosophical genealogy to develop and defend a new approach for thinking about the concept of moral status. My project has two main aims. First, I argue that Huw ...
• Ethics for the Depressed: A Value Ethics of Engagement  Fitzpatrick, Devin ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) I argue that depressed persons suffer from “existential guilt,” which amounts to a two-part compulsion: 1) the compulsive assertion or sense of a vague and all-encompassing or absolute threat that disrupts action and ...
• Soul and Polis: On Arete in Plato's Meno  Smith III, Ansel ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) In “Soul and Polis: On Arete in Plato’s Meno,” I interpret Meno as a dialogue in which the pursuit of individual arete appears intertwined with political arete. While the differentiation of these two arete is itself ...
• Place-in-Being: A Decolonial Phenomenology of Place in Conversation with Philosophies of the Americas  Newton, Margaret ( University of Oregon , 2022-05-10 ) Our experiences of place and emplacement are so fundamental to our everyday existence that most of us rarely dedicate much time to thinking about how place and emplacement impact the various aspects of our daily lives. In ...
• Species Trouble: From Settled Species Discourse to Ethical Species Pluralism  Sinclair, Rebekah ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) In this dissertation, I develop and defend the importance of species pluralism (the recognition and use of multiple species definitions) for both environmental and humanist ethics. I begin from the concern that, since the ...
• The Hybris of Plants: Reinterpreting Philosophy through Vegetal Life  Kerr, Joshua ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) This dissertation reexamines the place of plants in the history of Western philosophy, drawing on the diverse philosophical approaches of Plato, Aristotle, Goethe, Hegel, and Nietzsche, among others. I suggest that a close ...
• Decolonizing Silences: Toward a Critical Phenomenology of Deep Silences with Gloria E. Anzaldúa and Maurice Merleau-Ponty  Ferrari, Martina ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) Motivating this dissertation is a concern for how Western philosophical, cultural, and political practices tend to privilege speech and voice as emancipatory tools and reduce silence to silencing. To locate power in silence ...
• Mere Appearance: Redressing the History of Philosophy  Zimmer, Amie ( University of Oregon , 2021-09-13 ) The principal aim of this dissertation is to seriously consider what accounts of fashion and dress can offer—have indeed already offered—to philosophy. In recounting these histories, I have two primary goals. The first is ...
• Universal History as Global Critique: From German Critical Theory to the Anti-Colonial Tradition  Portella , Elizabeth ( University of Oregon , 2021-09-13 ) This dissertation argues for a critical reconstruction of the concept of universal history. In doing so, it draws on theoretical resources offered by a materialist philosophy of history, as it is expressed in both German ...
• Synoptic Fusion and Dialectical Dissociation: The Entwinement of Linguistic and Experiential Pragmatisms à la Wilfrid Sellars  Naeb, Cheyenne ( University of Oregon , 2021-09-13 ) This work will attempt to examine the relationship between experiential and linguistic pragmatism through the lens of the twentieth-century Analytic philosopher, Wilfrid Sellars. I maintain that Sellars meta-linguistic ...

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Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Philosophy » Philosophy Dissertation Topics (30 Examples) For Research

Philosophy Dissertation Topics (30 Examples) For Research

Mark Aug 18, 2021 Aug 12, 2021 Philosophy No Comments

Writing about philosophy requires significant time and research. To speed up the process, we have developed a list of some interesting philosophy dissertation topics. The field of philosophy is vast and has a lot of scope for research and development. A list of philosophy dissertation topics is developed consisting of some recent and relevant areas […]

Writing about philosophy requires significant time and research. To speed up the process, we have developed a list of some interesting philosophy dissertation topics. The field of philosophy is vast and has a lot of scope for research and development.

A list of philosophy dissertation topics is developed consisting of some recent and relevant areas for research. Once you select any research topic on philosophy or project topic on philosophy, we can offer you professional writing services.

A list Of Philosophy Dissertation Topics

Exploring the concepts of logic and metaphysics.

Studying the crossing boundaries in the life sciences.

Exploring the importance of philosophy of mind and language.

To examine the history and aim of science.

A literature review on the prediction of behaviour and phenomenology.

Identifying the ethics of cultural heritage.

Studying the impact of the state of mind on the life choices and decisions.

Exploring the epistemology knowledge theory and solipsism theory.

Comparing and contrasting the concepts of educational freedom.

Exploring humanity in the womb of history.

Analysing the ideas of Plato in the philosophy of the 21st century.

Reclaiming the power of thought and its related theories.

Exploring the quality indicators of life.

Studying the concept of positivism and its impact on human life and nature.

To explore the balancing of efficacy and effectiveness with philosophy and history.

Investigating the legal philosophy as a practical philosophy.

A philosophical argument on the models versus theories as for the primary carrier of nursing knowledge.

Explanation and comparison of the idealised theories.

Agent-based modelling in social science, history, and philosophy.

Philosophy for finance – theory and practice.

A philosophical comparison of the multidimensional model of black identity and nigrescence theory.

Studying the use of history as evidence in the philosophy of science.

Exploring the advancement in the philosophy of medicine.

To study the philosophy of psychology and cognitive science.

Exploring the philosophy of language and philosophy of mind.

Studying the concept of semantic externalism.

Comparing the ancient philosophy with modern philosophy.

Exploring the dynamicist approach to cognition.

Differences and similarities in extended and distributed cognition.

To study the Bayesian epistemology, decision theory and confirmation theory.

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Religion, Theology and Philosophy Dissertation Topics

Published by Alvin Nicolas at January 6th, 2023 , Revised On March 17, 2023

Introduction

As part of the religious, theology, and philosophy studies course, dissertation writing is inherently vital to the final result. Various religions are practised in the world today. Some of the major religions include; Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Sikhism.

In the contemporary world, religion is often not associated with politics and worldly life. Nevertheless, we can not deny its relationship and influence on humans and global peace. Therefore it is vital to choose a research topic that adds to the current body of literature.

To help you choose an appropriate topic and its subsequent research methodology, below is a list of issues classified using the thematic and exploratory approach for the religious studies dissertation.

PhD qualified writers of our team have developed these topics, so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the problem,  research question , aim and objectives,  literature review ,  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  dissertation example  to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

W“Our expert dissertation writers can help you with all stages of the dissertation writing process including topic research and selection, dissertation plan, dissertation proposal, methodology, statistical analysis, primary and secondary research, findings and analysis, and complete dissertation writing.“

2022 Religion, Theology and Philosophy Research Topics

Does religion make society patriarchal, or does society make religion patriarchal a historical analysis of islam and hinduism in southasia.

Research Aim: This research aims to find the relationship between patriarchal society and religion. It will analyse a causal link between both phenomena by discovering whether faith makes society patriarchal or a particular social structure that makes religion patriarchal. And to show this relationship, this research will use Islam and Hinduism as a case study to establish whether these religions made SouthAsian countries patriarchal or these countries with their specific cultures and traditions made these religions patriarchal.

The Role of Feminist Religious Movements in Promoting Gender Equality- A Feminist Critique of Christianity and Islam on Lacking Gender Equality

Research Aim: This research explores the impact of feminist religious movements on gender equality worldwide. It presents a historical view of how changing women’s religious ideologies helped them attain their rights worldwide. Moreover, it offers a thorough feminist critique of the world’s two most followed religions, Christianity and Islam, on how they cannot provide women with their due rights. Keeping in view how these religions failed to give women their rights, it will show how the increasing role of women in these religions helped them get their rights.

Who Does it Better? Western vs Eastern Philosophy in Defining the Role of Genders in Society- An Analysis Through a Plutonic Lens

Research Aim: This research compares Western and Eastern philosophies in defining the gender roles in society through a Platonic point of view. It will reach and contrast both perspectives regarding treating men and women in various societal parts. Then it will use Pluto’s philosophical theories to show which philosophy has defined these roles better by providing a detailed critique on both. Lastly, as objectively as possible, it will show which philosophy is better through various metrics defined by Pluto and other Western and Eastern Philosophers.

Does God Promote Wars? The Role of Religion in the World Wars: A Critique of Richard Dawkins

Research Aim: This research sheds light on a crucial debate in religion and wars studies whether religion has something to do with wars. It will analyse the world wars to show whether religious elements made conflicts worse or other factors that overshadowed the spiritual aspects. Furthermore, it will include the viewpoint of famous evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, a part of the neo-atheist movement. His critique of God and religions will help to understand the relationship comprehensively.

Does Power Corrupt Religion? The Role of State in Using Religious Actors for its Political Motives- A Case of the US and Al Qaeda

Research Aim: This research shows how enormous political powers can use religion as a tool for their political motives. It will analyse a state’s channels to influence religion in a country or other countries. Moreover, it will identify which immense political powers fulfilled primary political motives throughout history. And more specifically, it will use US and AlQaeda as a case study of how the US used them for their reasons and what happened when they weren’t able to control them.

Covid-19 Religion, Theology and Philosophy Research Topics

Religious communities and coronavirus pandemic.

Research Aim: This study will focus on reviewing the contribution of religious communities to combat the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Indian religious politics during the Coronavirus pandemic

Research Aim: This study will investigate the issues and conflicts that arose in India during the outbreak of COVID-19 and the response of the international countries on it.

Theology and Coronavirus crisis

Research Aim: This study will focus on theological studies on the Coronavirus pandemic.

Philosophy, science, and religion during Coronavirus

Research Aim: This study will address the importance of philosophy, science, and religion in combatting Coronavirus.

World Religions Dissertation Topics

Under the category of world religion, the teaching courses cover a range of topics, including the traditional aspects and forms of religion found globally, including the mainstream practising religions such as Buddhism or Catholicism, fastest-growing religion like Islam, and belief systems such as the traditions of the Samurai tribe.

Given the highly diverse nature of faith, it is pertinent to explore and analyse this diversity in terms of the continuous evolution of the human race. The list of topics below provides a focused thematic and exploratory approach that may be used for world religion research dissertation purposes.

Topic 1: Increasing Islamophobia in the Western Countries, Its Causes and Possible Remedies

Research Aim: The hatred, intolerance, prejudice, or hostility towards the religion of Islamic and its followers are termed Islamophobia. In the last few years, the increasing trend of Islamophobia has been witnessed in the Western Countries, which at some instances lead to the act of violence and killing of Muslims, for example, the New Zealand mosque shooting in 2019 where 51 Muslims were shot dead by an Islamophobic was extreme evidence of the existence of Islamophobia. Therefore, in today’s time, when millions of Muslims live in Western Countries, it is essential to identify the causes of increasing Islamophobia and how it can be controlled.

Topic 2: Prevention of blasphemy and its Role in Global Peace

Research Aim: When someone speaks or writes profanely about a sacred or religious personality, place, or object, it amounts to blasphemy. The seculars and proponents of freedom of speech and expression do not hesitate to malign, mock and insult religion and the holy personages. However, blasphemy can enrage thousands and millions of believers worldwide as they cannot tolerate any disrespect towards their religion or holy personages, and they can become violent. In this study, the global blasphemy laws and how much they prevent blasphemy are explored, and their role in developing global peace is explored based on a survey-based study.

Topic 3: Religious Violence and its Association with Religious Intolerance

Research Aim: When religion is a subject or an object of violence, it is categorized as religious violence. In situations where people show no or lack of religious intolerance towards another religion and its followers, they tend to disapprove, criticize, and even use violence to show their dominance. Given this, it is argued that people have intolerance towards another religion, then their intolerance, if it remains unchecks, can even lead to violence. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate religious intolerance’s causal relationship with religious violence to identify if religious intolerance can trigger religious violence.

Topic 4: The notion of Atheism in the modern world. A critical analysis

Research Aim: Atheism is a belief in the non-existence of any God. In the contemporary world, scientific advancements and modern technology have made significant breakthroughs that have unravelled many unexplained phenomena and have consequently changed people’s lives and beliefs. As people’s reliance on science and technology has increased, anything that cannot be proven logically or through scientific evidence is rejected, even if it is God’s existence. In this research past, literature will be critically analyzed to identify what atheism means in today’s modern world and how it has altered people’s beliefs.

Topic 5: An analysis of belief and culture of African Christians in Diaspora.

Research Aim: During recent history, many African Christians have migrated to Western or Developed Countries to save their lives or attain better life prospects and living standards. After living in other Countries, African Christians came into contact with new cultures, traditions, religions, languages, and beliefs, altering their ideas and culture. In this regard, this survey-based study aims to identify whether African Christians have preserved their beliefs and culture while living in Diaspora.

Topic 6: The evolution of religious beliefs in India posts 20th century: A critical analysis.

Research Aim: In this research, the molecular structure of various tumors is discussed along with the therapeutic issues faced for these ailments and their treatments. Target spots for treatment and different chemical mixes for its treatments are also explained in this research.

Topic 7: The inherent belief of all religions lies in following the teachings prescribed by a higher authority. Discuss.

Research Aim: All religions have some guidelines recorded in holy books and religious scriptures that their believers have to follow. Whether obeying a higher authority’s commands is a common notion in all religions is critically discussed by conducting a thematic analysis of past literature.

Topic 8: Religious diversity and terrorism: An empirical analysis.

Research Aim: There are hundreds of religions practised globally that are significantly diversified in terms of beliefs, characteristics, traditions, festivals, and customs. In the past three decades, the increased occurrence of religious-based terrorism worldwide gives rise to a need to explore any causal link present between religious diversity and terrorism.

Topic 9: A Comparative study between Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity

Research Aim: The similarities and differences between Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are compared by conducting a thematic analysis. These religions’ religious scriptures will be discussed and compared to identify the shared characteristics present amongst them.

Topic 10: Why Islam is the Fastest Growing Religion in the World?

Research Aim: Islam has been linked with global terrorism in the media, yet still, it is number one in the list of fastest-growing religions of the world. In this regard, an in-depth exploratory study is to be conducted to identify the underlying reasons. A growing number of people are accepting the religion of Islam.

History and Religion Dissertation Topics

History and religion have been a topic of interest throughout previous decades and gained particular importance amongst researchers focusing on the impact and influence of religion on culture throughout history.

Based on  a literature review of the religious references, the researchers have drawn a connection between literature and culture. History and religion are not confined to the evolution or impact of a particular religion. Still, it goes beyond the diversity of religion and focuses on developing the human race throughout time. Below is a list of suggested topics that can be used for history and religion research dissertations.

Topic 11: The comparative study between ancient Judaism and Hinduism

Research Aim: The similarities present between ancient Judaism and Hinduism are critically reviewed. For instance, both religions have a distinct class system that divides people into superior and lower classes. In Judaism, people are divided into Jews and non-Jews, referred to as gentiles, and as per Judaism, gentiles are animals in human form. Similarly, Hinduism divides people into four classes; Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras, where Shudras are given animal status.

Topic 12: How the Renaissance altered Christian religion and beliefs during the 15th and 16th Century Europe

Research Aim: Renaissance was a revolt against the supremacy of Christian theology, pope, the prohibition of learning science and logic, and interference of Church in the personal life of individuals during middle ages starting from 500 to 1400 Century. The renaissance proposed a new idea of humanism where religion must not intervene in an individual’s worldly and religious affairs, and people are free to have their own religion and beliefs. This study will critically analyse how the renaissance impacted the Christian religion and beliefs of European people during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Topic 13: Was Christ really crucified? A critical analysis of the contradictory evidence found in Christian and Islam

Research Aim: As per Christian belief, Jesus Christ was crucified, and he gave his life on the cross so that all Christians can be forgiven for their sins and go to paradise. However, as per Islamic belief, Christ was never crucified. Instead, God ascended Jesus Christ and made the betrayed companion look like Jesus Christ, and the Romans crucified him thinking that he was Jesus Christ.

Topic 14: Illicit affairs between Monks and Nuns in Christian Monasticism, a myth or a reality?

Research Aim: The mass grave of newly born babies found beneath the Catholic Church in Ireland provides evidence to support the myths about secret sex lives of monks and nuns throughout the history of Christian Monasticism. Based on the thematic analysis of the historical evidence found in literature and media, the immorality and hypocrisy of Catholic Monasticism will be critically reviewed.

Topic 15: Historical account of the destruction of Jerusalem and Jewish exile by King Nebuchadnezzar

Research Aim: The King of ancient Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had destroyed Jerusalem along with the temple of Solomon and exiled all Jews from Jerusalem in 586 BC. Many Jews were taken to Babylon as slaves, while many were dispersed and wandered in the desert for many years. Thematic analysis will be conducted in this study. The historical evidence found in the past literature will be critically reviewed to understand the Jewish Diaspora and their hardships.

Topic 16: Islam: The religious foundations and evolution through the 7th century into the modern world.

Research Aim: The religion of Islam, which came in the 7th Century in Arab, has spread to every part of the world today. Today more than 350 million Muslims exist and follow the religion of Islam, which was introduced around 1400 years ago. Although they have been divided into different groups and sects, they still share some common fundamental beliefs. Therefore, an exploratory study will be conducted to identify how Islam has evolved and how its religious foundations are compatible with the modern world.

Topic 17: The life of Adolf Hitler: impact of religious doctrine and belief.

Research Aim: Adolf Hitler was born and raised in a Roman Catholic family. As per his public speeches, he considered Jews to be the true enemy of Christianity, and by fighting against them, he was actually doing God’s work. Therefore, a thematic analysis is to be conducted on the life of Adolf Hitler to ascertain whether his religious doctrine and belief impacted his life.

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Religion and the Contemporary World Dissertation Topics

This theme focuses on topics that analyse the effect of religion within the contemporary world, including the media’s influence and the application of religious beliefs to the modern-day world.

This is an interesting topic for those aiming to look at theology and religion together since the implications of religion to the contemporary world has become the focus of discussion and dichotomy. Below is a list of topics that can be used for Religion and the Contemporary World Research Dissertation purposes.

Topic 18: Islam subjugate or uplift women: A critical analysis

Research Aim: Islam is criticized for women subjugation and inequality. Still, women in Western countries willingly accept Islam and follow Islamic practices such as wearing Hijab and covering their heads and faces. If Islam actually subjugates women, then why are independent and educated women in Western countries like France and the UK becoming Muslim. To unrevealed this mystery, an exploratory study is to be conducted where the women who accepted Islam will be interviewed to find out whether Islam subjugated them or uplift their status.

Topic 19: Religion is redundant in today's contemporary world.

Research Aim: Religion tends to hinder scientific developments because religion does not permit anything in line with religious law and guidelines. Today’s contemporary world can no longer follow any such restrictions, which can become a hurdle in scientific advancements and medical breakthroughs. Besides, nowadays, people use scientific evidence and logic to justify something rather than blindly relying on religious explanations. In view of this, a survey-based study is to be performed to determine whether religion has become unnecessary in today’s modern world.

Topic 20: Religions and faith communities can be a source of social stability and progress in today’s contemporary world.

Research Aim: In today’s socially and economically unstable and uncertain environment, association with religions and faith communities can enable individuals to have social stability and progress. People tend to look after each other in faith communities. For instance, black Church organisations in London provide work, education and training to black Christians. A thematic analysis will be performed in this research to evaluate whether people can gain social security, better work and prospects by being associated with religious communities.

Topic 21: Various religions, including Christianity and Islam, do not recognize the relationship between same-sex genders. Discuss in light of recent legalization and the global evolution for equality of all people.

Research Aim: The recent laws and legalization made to give rights and equality to the LGBL community are legally permitting people of the same sexual orientations to marry or live in relationships as partners. However, various religions like Christianity and Islam does not permit any such relationships and legalizing the same-sex marriage and relationship would create more differences in the society. This study will focus on identifying the in-depth view of Christians and Muslims on same-sex marriages and their likely impact on their rights, belief and practices.

Topic 22: Equality of women is a blessing or a curse?

Research Aim: Women in western countries like America and the UK are given equal rights and responsibilities. In eastern countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, women have lower rights and responsibilities than men. It is argued that when women have equitable rights, they get higher or lower rights than men based on situations. For instance, a woman as a mother has more rights than a man as a father. In view of this, equitable rights give women more privileges as they don’t have to bear the hardships and exploitation. An exploratory study will be conducted in Pakistan to ascertain whether women feel more blessed or cursed by having equality.

Topic 23: The miracle of splitting of the Moon in the light of scientific evidence.

Research Aim: According to the Islamic belief when people of Mecca in Arab asked the Prophet Muhammad to show a miracle if he is actually a messenger of God, then Prophet Muhammad split the moon in two halves with the movement of this index finger and then rejoined them together. In 1969 the photograph of moon taken by NASA spaceship clearly showed the splitting mark on the surface of moon. Modern astronomers also provide scientific evidence to support the splitting of moon. In this research the scientific evidence to support or oppose the splitting of moon will be critically analysed to determine whether moon was splitting actually splitted.

Topic 24: Why religions and faith are gaining popularity in today’s time.

Research Aim: In today’s time when economic and social problems are on rise, it is worth identifying the reasons because of which more and more people are evidently moving towards religions and faith. Therefore a thematic analysis is to be conducted to explore the reasons why people around the world are becoming more religious by demonstrating and practicing their faith.

Topic 25: Eastern religions, especially Islam have suffered greatly post 9/11 in terms of media representation and fair trial. Discuss.

Research Aim: Since the 9/11 terrorist attack, Eastern religions like Sikhism, Hinduism and especially Islam has been suffered greatly as the followers of these religions were perceived terrorists/extremists and were being victimized. The negative portrayal by media created negative image which may have negatively impacted the fair trial of Muslims and followers of other Eastern religions. Therefore an exploratory study is to be conduct to identify the problem which Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus faced in America after 9/11.

Also Read: Politics Dissertation Topics

Ethics and Religion Dissertation Topics

The notion of ethics in religion encompasses morality and various morality components to apply to modern life and daily situations. Morality and religion have gone hand in hand throughout history, and it has been observed that multiple moral conducts are justified with the notion of religious beliefs.

For researchers who wish to get a deeper understanding of this relationship, below is a list of topics that can be used for dissertation purposes.

Topic 26: Religious beliefs and morality are deeply entrenched within each other. Critically discuss.

Research Aim: The concept of morality is found in every religion. The concept of right and wrong given by religious beliefs and morality are alike. For instance, telling a lie is bad, while speaking the truth is good for both religions and moral values. In this study, the similarities between religious convictions and moral ethics are reviewed to determine whether religious convictions and moral ethics are intertwined.

Topic 27: Military Action: Ethical justification through religion.

Research Aim: When military action is to be taken against a militant group or terrorists, it would be ethically right to do so in self-defence and protect innocent human lives. Because of this, different religions’ ethical justification to justify military action will be critically reviewed in this study.

Topic 28: Ethical egoism and its relation with moral code.

Research Aim: Ethical egoism is a notion which states that people tend to behave morally only if the moral act would maximize their self-interest. However, a moral code is a set of rules that people follow to live a good life, determining their morals and actions. In this study, the relationship between ethical egoism and moral code will be empirically analyzed.

Topic 29: There is no moral code to justify Islamic Terrorism

Research Aim: Islam is a religion that prohibits killing innocent people, and killing of an innocent soul is regarded as killing the whole of humanity. In this study, the Islamic teachings and moral code will be critically analyzed to identify whether the Islamic moral code justifies the Terrorism done by Islam’s followers.

Topic 30: How is morality entrenched within the teachings of Islam?

Research Aim: Morality means the sense of right and wrong or good or bad behaviour. It is claimed that Islam is a religion that is based on goodness, righteousness and teaches to do good in society and be good with everyone. The Islamic teachings will be critically reviewed in this study to determine how it is entrenched with morality.

Topic 31: Human rights and the ethical dichotomy of religious beliefs.

Research Aim: Human rights are based on all human beings’ equality. However, religious beliefs tend to show ethical dichotomy because it divides people’s rights based on believers and non-believers or piety, where the believers or pious people like religious leaders tend to have more rights than the non-believers or followers. This study is important to identify how religious ethics contradiction with human rights.

Topic 32: Situational ethics through religion. Discuss critically the impact of situational ethics in a multi ethnic community.

Research Aim: When an act in a particular context or situation is judged following a religion’s ethical standards, instead of by the usual morality standards, it is referred to as situational ethics through faith. It can be argued, and if everyone starts justifying their unethical acts with situational ethics in a multi-ethnic community, they will be going against usual standards of morality. This research aims to identify the impact of situational ethics through religion on a multi-ethnic community and how it can create chaos and injustice in society.

Religion and Philosophy Dissertation Topics

Religion and philosophy have been going hand in hand throughout history. Philosophy has been used to justify and question God’s supreme power and the fundamentals of religious faith.

The basic premise of philosophy and its application to religion is based on trying to ascertain the existence of religion as a possibility. You can find a topic that interests you from the list of religion and philosophy dissertation topics below.

Topic 33: Relationship between existence of life and existence of God. Critically discuss with examples.

Research Aim: When a small object like a clock can never be made on its own unless someone creates it, then how it is possible that such a big and complex world and life can be created on its own without a creator. Because of this notion, in this research, God’s existence is critically analyzed based on its relationship with the existence of life.

Topic 34: If there is a God, who was he created by? An in-depth analysis based on fundamental religious beliefs

Research Aim: Based on the argument that nothing can be created on its own and there must be a creator for everything, this idea gives rise to a question that if God exists, then who created God. This question will be critically analyzed by reviewing the fundamental religious beliefs found in the religious literature of various religions.

Topic 35: Christianity is actually Paulism: A Critical Review

Research Aim: It is argued that today’s Christianity is not what Jesus Christ taught, but it is the beliefs and doctrines developed based on what Saint Paul wrote and taught about Christ and Christianity. Saint Paul wrote the thirteen books of the New Testament, and scholars believe that Paul’s teachings greatly deviated from the actual teachings of Jesus Christ. In this study, Paul and the contribution of Saint Paul in developing today’s Christianity will be critically reviewed to evaluate the argument.

Topic 36: Life after death and accountability is a necessity to remedy the injustice done in the world.

Research Aim: In this world, many of the times, the wrongdoers get away from punishment and justice is not provided to the innocent victims. Therefore it is essential that in the hereafter, people can be answerable for their good or bad deeds where they cannot get away after doing injustice, and the victims can be compensated. In this research, the justification for life after death is reviewed in line with the world’s injustice.

Topic 37: God is known to be an all loving, all-encompassing being. How can the evil in the world be justified in the face of an omnipotent God?

Research Aim: It is argued that when God is all-loving, and he is present everywhere, how so much evil, violence, and injustice may be possible in his presence, so much evil violence and injustice is possible taking place in the world. Given this statement, this research aims to justify the existence of evil in the world.

Topic 38: If God cannot be seen then it does not prove that he does not exist.

Research Aim: few things in the world cannot be seen or measured, but they exist, such as pain or magic. Based on this notion, it can be argued that it is not sufficient to deny God’s existence if we cannot see him. This research focuses on determining why it is not enough to disprove God’s presence only because he cannot be seen.

Topic 39: God is only a figments of a believer’s imagination. Discuss.

Research Aim: In different religions, God’s idea and characteristics are different. Some worship idols, some worship animals and supernatural beings, while others worship non-living objects like the moon, stars, sun, trees, and fire. Therefore in this research, God as an invention by the imagination of believers will be critically discussed.

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Architecture and Religion: Built Heritage Dissertation Topics

Architecture has played an essential role within the religious communities since it provides a tangible component of the community’s belief in substantiating their religious faith.

To understand the true essence of an architectural building within the religious faith, it is essential to look beyond the buildings’ structural aesthetics and understand the deeper engraved intangible value of religious faith that drives the community. Below is a list of topics that might be interesting for architecture and religion-based dissertation.

Topic 40: Architectural buildings such as churches and mosques have great religious significance. Discuss.

Research Aim: Religious architectural buildings like the synagogue, cathedral, church, shrine, temple, and mosques carry unique religious importance because it symbolizes religious history, culture, give exalted appeal and have a great influence on the religious community. In this research, architectural buildings’ religious importance, namely, synagogue, cathedral, church, shrine, temple, and mosques, will be discussed to identify their religious followers’ respective significance.

Topic 41: What are the components of a Church?

Research Aim: A church is a structure used by Christians to carry out their religious activities and worship. Traditionally, its interior is built in the Christian cross’s shape, and its components included; center aisle, alter, bema, and seats. However, the church building may also have a courtyard, apse, and mausoleum. The modern church buildings may have different structures and components. Therefore in this study, the traditional and modern church buildings are compared and contrasted to identify the mandatory components of a Christian Church.

Topic 42: Without religious buildings to substantiate faith, followers would lose their religion. Discuss.

Research Aim: Religious buildings like churches, temples, and mosques are the holy places where religious followers can worship, practise their faiths, and socialize with their fellow believers to substantiate their beliefs. This research aims to discuss whether, in the absence of religious buildings where followers can affirm their faiths, there are chances that they would lose their religion.

Topic 43: How far would you agree with the belief that divine presence can only be felt within religious architectural spaces?

Research Aim: The religious buildings are believed to have a divine presence, and people tend to go to such places so that they can feel that divine presence. Given this, it can be argued that a true believer may not necessarily need to visit a religious building to feel the divine presence. Therefore an exploratory study will be conducted to determine whether it is necessary to visit religious architectural spaces to feel the divine presence.

Topic 44: Demolishing a building that is fundamental to a religious belief is tantamount to disgracing the divine God. Discuss.

Research Aim: Destroying a religious building with significant importance to a religious belief would be equal to disrespecting the divine God and religion. The believers of that religion would not tolerate if their religious building is demolished, and they can react violently and create havoc. Therefore, in this study, what a religious building’s demolition would mean for their religious followers will be evaluated by conducting an in-depth analysis.

Topic 45: What is the purpose of religious architectural buildings? Discuss with a comparative analysis of different religious faiths.

Research Aim: All religious architectural buildings serve one common purpose: to provide a place for the religious followers to worship, congregate, and practice religious activities. However, different religious architectural buildings may also serve different or additional purposes. This study aims to conduct a comparative study between different religions to determine whether all religious architectural buildings serve the same purpose.

Topic 46: An expensive religious building does not encompass the basic human right of equality amongst all mankind. Discuss.

Research Aim: In today’s world where millions of people live below the poverty line, constructing an expensive religious building seems to contradict the notion of equality amongst all humankind and basic human rights. However, it can be argued that the poor people who do not have access to luxuries can avail comfort by visiting the expensive religious building. Therefore it is necessary to determine whether expensive religious buildings give all humankind equality and are in line with human rights. Get Free Custom Dissertation Topic .

Politics and Religion: Dissertation Topics

The study of religion and politics aims to draw an interconnecting relationship between the two subject areas and analyze their impact upon each other’s application. Below is a list of topics that may help aim to research the relationship between  Politics and Religion .

Topic 47: There needs to be clear distinction between political views and religious beliefs. Discuss.

Research Aim: As per secularist ideology, politics and religion are two different aspects and therefore should be clearly separated. However, religious doctrines tend to suggest that politics and religious beliefs go hand in hand. Given this argument, the present study adopts exploratory research to determine whether there must be a clear distinction between political views and religious beliefs.

Topic 48: Politics is used as a mask to cover up religious fanaticism. Critically analyse.

Research Aim: Politics include various activities which are used to govern a country. In a country where the governance is controlled or influenced by religious leaders or religious parties, religious fanaticism may be accepted and cultivated under political authority. In this research, the relationship between politics and religious fanaticism is critically analyzed to identify whether politics is used as a cover to foster religious fanaticism.

Topic 49: The fading association between religion and politics in a secular state.

Research Aim: secularism is a belief which segregates politics and state from religious affairs. Based on this notion, it can be argued that people tend to disassociate religion from worldly affairs in a secular state. Therefore the affiliation between religion and politics has been diminishing. In this study, the relationship between religion and politics is to be determined in a secular state to evaluate the extent to which religion is disassociated from politics.

Topic 50: Should religious leaders be equipped with some form of political or legal authority

Research Aim: Religious leaders have a great degree of power and influence over their religious communities, and their followers tend to obey their orders without questioning them. This shows that religious leaders can even use their position and religious authority to direct their followers wherever they want. Therefore this study focuses to critically analyze whether it would be correct to give religious leaders any political or legal authority.

Topic 51: The only reasons politicians bow to religious authority is to gain popularity. Critically analyse.

Research Aim: In countries where religious leaders have great influence and control over many people, the politicians sometimes join hands with religious leaders to win elections by gaining support from their religious followers. However, the politicians’ collation with the religious leaders may not necessarily mean that they bow down to the religious leaders. Still, it is a diplomatic step to gain their own political authority.

Topic 52: How has the religion Islam succumbed under political pressures? Critically analyse.

Research Aim: In the post 9/11 world, the religion Islam came under immense political pressure. The political activism by Islamic organizations and religious parties has been restricted to moderate the religion of Islam. In this research, a critical analysis is to be conducted to determine whether religion Islam surrendered under political pressures.

Topic 53: The role of Hindu extremists and politicians in Indian society.

Research Aim: In India, the Hindu extremist party RSS played a significant role in rising Hindu Nationalism in Indian politics. Since its independence, India has been identified as a secular state. Still, under the Hindu Nationalist party’s new rule, the Indian political landscape has been altered, and Hinduism dominance is forcefully implemented in Indian society. Given this, the present study aims to evaluate what impact the Hindu extremists and Hindu Nationalist politicians would have on Indian culture in terms of violence and injustice towards low-caste people and Muslims living in India.

Important Notes:

As a student of religion, philosophy and theology looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment on existing religion, philosophy and theology theories – i.e., to add value and interest in your research topic.

The field of religion, philosophy and theology is vast and interrelated to many other academic disciplines like  civil engineering ,  construction ,  law , and even  healthcare . That is why it is imperative to create a religion, philosophy and theology dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic; it is based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic credit-ability, the research may not make logical sense, there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in  writing your dissertation  as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

Keeping our advice in mind while developing a research topic will allow you to pick one of the best religion, philosophy, and theology dissertation topics that fulfill your requirement of writing a research paper and adds to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample religion, philosophy and theology dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your Dissertation

A well-structured   dissertation can help students   to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of  the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review :  This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analyzing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address  research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths while identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology: The  data collection  and  analysis  methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes  research design,  research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods and  data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis: Findings of the research are analyzed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include  graphs ,  charts  and  tables  in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and  Conclusion:  The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section is establishing the link between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to the implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References:  Make sure to complete this following your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices: Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to  complete the dissertation  but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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100+ Philosophy Research Paper Topics

One of the most difficult tasks philosophy students faces each year is in having to come up with a philosophy topic to write a paper on. Students can get notifications of big projects months ahead of time and then spend weeks trying to figure out whether their philosophy essay topics are good enough to earn a good grade.

We get it. It’s hard to pull this task together with schedules and responsibilities. This is why we work to find philosophical topics that are current and relatable. We stick to important issues that are at the forefront of the discipline and bring them to you in one convenient philosophical topic for the essay list.

Finding the right philosophy topics can turn regular assignments into A+-winning assignments and we’ve done the work to help you and hundreds of other students get started with these philosophy paper topics. Here are our top 100 philosophy topics for the current school year:

Argumentative Philosophy Research Paper Topics

• Do people naturally have good and bad qualities?
• Do we need family support to find happiness?
• How humans can be happy without reproduction?
• What is the definitive explanation of happiness?
• Do most people feel they aren’t living their full lives?
• Would you marry for money if it meant you could never be happy?
• Would you like to live your life more than once?
• Would you rather work vocationalation job or a high-paying job?
• Are personalities unique or are they just template?
• Do you think that it is moral to follow all the rules?

Good Philosophy Paper Topics for All Levels

• Does one need to lead a moral life to achieve happiness?
• Why do people find life harder than expected?
• Which is the better teacher? Experience or learning?
• Do people always do what they want at that moment?
• Is truth universal or does it change because of perspective?
• Do animals have a better sense of morals than humans?
• Can people gain an education without proper schooling?
• Does one need to be literate to understand philosophy?
• Which ie preferable? Determinism or Free Will?
• Is capital punishment ethical in today’s world?

Controversial Topics in Philosophy

• How does society shape a person’s life and beliefs?
• Do you need a lot of money to live a rich life?
• Why are some people living without actually experiencing things?
• Is spiritual power more important than free will?
• Do genetics play a bigger role in the way people behave?
• What impact does the word “love” have on positivity?
• What is the real reason we live our lives?
• Is it possible to form a perfect world?
• Do religion and philosophy contradict one another?
• Can a world exist without laws or regulations?

Fun Philosophy Paper Topics for High School

• What would be your form ideal government?
• What are the different ways in which humans understand each other?
• How is the concept of happiness defined by different philosophers?
• Is existence simply a dream experienced by a larger being?
• If you can spend a week in any period, which would it be?
• Are we alone in our galaxy or are there other intelligent life forms?
• What does it mean to have free will versus determinism?
• If you can change one thing from your past, what would it be?
• Does religion limit our abilities to explore the meaning of life?
• What does it mean to be loved or to love others?

Topics for Philosophy Paper on the Classics

• What does it mean to understand our universe?
• Does happiness come from our actions toward others?
• Are our thoughts evidence that we exist?
• What is the definition of evil as it relates to the modern world?
• Could societies exist without laws and regulations?
• Are people born good or evil or are they raised to be one or the other?
• Is torture a justifiable form of punishment?
• How can past leaders influence today’s youth positively?
• Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder?
• Can we refocus our minds to think more positively?

Easy Philosophy Paper Topics for High School

• What does it mean to be moral in today’s world?
• Can wars be justified if it supports the greater population?
• What does it mean to be a postmodern philosopher?
• What are today’s most important life values?
• What is the current perspective on the definition of loneliness?
• How does one prepare for life after death?
• Would you like to repeat your life with full knowledge of the prior?
• Does something better than nothing always lead to benefits?
• Do people choose to suffer or is it a feeling beyond our control?
• Should people have to right to die by suicide?

Philosophy Topics to Write About Quickly

• Do we exist in some form after death?
• Do supernatural entities exist in the world?
• Are video games negatively impacting people’s moral values?
• How does one boost his or her ability to be creative?
• Is it important to spend your entire life learning?
• What does it mean to be mentally conscious?
• What is the definition of loneliness and have you experienced it?
• What are the most important character traits for leaders to have?
• Does one need a lot of money to be considered rich?
• Are we alone in the universe or is there another life?

Philosophical Topics for Essays on Current Issues

• Are parents responsible for how their children behave?
• Are the U.S. and U.K. meritocratic societies?
• Has social media had an impact on people’s morals?
• Do you agree with the notion that love only exists for 3 years?
• Are humans more likely to cause trouble because of boredom?
• Is capital punishment morally justified in modern society?
• Do humans have the same ideas about what is right and what is wrong?
• How does death affect how humans view life?
• Is it complicated to live a life of happiness?
• Should teenagers be given the responsibility to make their own choices?

Philosophy Thesis Topics for a Big Project

• Do religion and the belief in God change a person’s behavior?
• Are Machiavellian ideals still relevant in today’s government?
• Is animal experimentation ever justified to protect humans?
• What are the pros and cons of a utilitarian society?
• What are the pros and cons of a communist government?
• Why are humans the only species to be violent?
• Is economic justice more important than legal justice?
• Should women have univerabortion rightstion?
• What impact did the 20th-century wave of philosophy have on the U.S.?
• How do you know that you are different from other people?

Philosophy Research Paper Topics

• What are the tendencies we see most in humans?
• Are our morals connected to or influenced by culture?
• Would you live your life a second time?
• Should religion have a voice in a nation’s government?
• What do you think makes for an ideal society?
• Are truths relative to specific situations or circumstances?
• What is the most important aspect to gain human knowledge?
• What is something that veritably upsets you?
• What is something in your life that you would like to change?
• What is the most effective way to increase one’s IQ?

Getting a good grade on a philosophy research paper requires you to consider several different options and narrow down those options to a topic you feel you can conduct complete philosophy research on. The topic should also be something that interests you and verges into new areas in the discipline and area of study. This can be a difficult task for many students, so we create custom philosophy research topics to suit every situation. If you can’t find a topic you like from this list, just give us a call, email us, or send us a message via chat. We can direct you to a qualified philosophy expert writer to create a custom list of philosophical ideas to fit your assignment needs.

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Philosophy Dissertation Topics

How to choose a topic for your philosophy dissertation.

Philosophy is a discipline that covers many potential areas of research. Philosophy is a very playful discipline, as it allows students and researchers to speculate on the different factors that affect our understanding of material reality. This is why it is so crucial to choose the dissertation topic well. Undergraduate and postgraduate philosophy students are oftentimes confused about the choices that are available to them when they embark on the process of writing their dissertation. And let’s face it, the feedback that they get from their supervisors is often not sufficient enough to enable them to make the right choice when it comes to choosing a dissertation. But we can help. Our team of writers has a significant level of expertise in various areas within the field of study of philosophy.

Philosophy students are advised to choose topics that enable them to engage with the scholarly literature on the subject of their choice. This is a very important aspect of the process of writing a dissertation. Students who pay attention to the ongoing debate on the various areas of the discipline of philosophy tend to get higher marks.

Students should also make sure that they feel comfortable with the subject that they are researching. In the following sections, students will be able to find information about some of the most important issues related to the field of philosophy, including ethics, political philosophy and philosophy of mind.

Political philosophy

Philosophy of mind.

Ethics is a field of study within philosophy that deals with the way in which concepts of right and wrong should be identified and defended. The field of ethics is concerning with the assignment of value to the behaviour exhibited by individuals. The study of ethics is aimed at determining what constitutes morally-accepted behaviour. Within the field of ethics, it is possible to identify three particular fields of study. First, meta-ethics, which concerns the link between truth value and moral propositions. Second, normative ethics, which deals with the practical methods that need to be applied for determining the right course of moral behaviour. Third, applied ethics focuses on establishing how a person should exercise a moral choice. Here are a number of dissertation topics that can be written in the field of ethics:

• What are the main aspects of the debate between cognitivism and non-cognitivism in the field of meta-ethics?
• Does moral scepticism enhance our knowledge in the field of ethics?
• In which way does normative ethics enables us to establish right or wrong moral choices?
• Is Stoic philosophy successful in establishing a strong normative ethical framework?
• What are the main implications of the deontological ethical framework provided by Kantian philosophy?
• Is Habermasian discourse theory a worthy successor of Kantian philosophy?

Political philosophy focuses on the interaction between the concepts of justice and liberty in the manner in which the social contract is established. Political philosophy deals with the way in which laws should be implemented and the manner in which they should facilitate the actualization of people’s rights. Political philosophy is also concerned with questions of legitimacy and recognition. There are a number of relevant sub-disciplines within the domain of political philosophy, including the history of political thought, identity politics and post-structuralist political thinking. The history of political thought deals with the way in which the ideas that inform the social contract that prevails in the Western world were configured. Identity politics with the manner in which the normative framework that prevails in the social sphere should be aligned to materialize the rights of individuals and particular social groups. Post-structuralist political thinking is concerned with contesting some of the premises of the Western social contract as it originated during the Enlightenment period. There are a number of potential dissertation topics that can be highlighted:

• In which way is the rejection of meritocracy by Michael Sandel inimical to the concept of liberty endorsed by classical liberalism?
• Is progressivism a novel ideological subject or a revamp of classical liberalism?
• How has the push and pull between liberty and justice affected the development of political theory in the Western world?
• In which way did John Rawls’ “theory of justice” lead to the propagation of identity politics?
• Has identity politics exacerbated the spectrum of social fragmentation in Western societies?
• Has Western political thinking slid into nihilistic tendencies upon the onset of the age of globalization?

Philosophy of mind is an area within the discipline of philosophy that is very popular in British, American and Commonwealth universities. Philosophy of mind focuses on the ontological and functional implications of the relationship between the mind and the body. This is an issue that has occupied the attention of philosophers since classical times. In the modern age, philosophy of mind practitioners have focused on the monist and dualist approaches to the study of consciousness and mental states in general. This is an area of study that has significant repercussions for our understanding of mental properties and functions and the relationship between the body and the mind. The dualist approach to the study of the philosophy of mind is centred of the ideas of René Descartes, which posited that the mind exists independently of the body. Conversely, those who espouse a monist approach to the study of the philosophy of mind, such as Benedict Spinoza, claim that the mind and the body are not independent entities. There are a number of relevant dissertation topics in this area of study:

• In which way does the dualist philosophy of mind framework proposed by René Descartes promote the idea of a functionalist approach to understanding of mental states?
• Is the idea of consciousness a physical or mental phenomenon?
• How is the notion of behaviourism linked to the monist position in the field of philosophy of mind?
• What are the implications of the interactionist perspective on the dualist position espoused by René Descartes?
• In what way has the monist-dualist debate affected the debate regarding the notion of consciousness in neuroscience?
• Is the idea of consciousness explainable by referring to biological occurrences?

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Philosophy Dissertation Topics and Ideas

Table of Contents

Philosophy Dissertation Topics

Best  philosophy dissertation topics which will give your subject a new dimension to explore.

There are distinctive ethical theories for supporting or disproving any occasion or any social issue. As philosophy dissertation topics, there are myriads of moral arguments that can be explained, discussed, evaluated, and explored exhaustively to comprehend the whole stance of morals with regard to figuring out what is correct and what’s going on.

It is right now the significance of the pragmatic hypothesis of morals deserves special notice. The utilitarian theory or the most celebrated hypothesis can be applied to pretty much every such occasion that should be evaluated as far as a result – either positive or negative.

More related posts:

• Best French Dissertation Topics and Ideas

What is a Philosophy?

Philosophy covers the study of many  fundamental and general problems which are concerned with the existence and wisdom of mankind. It is distinguished from other studies in the criteria that it generates arguments on rational grounds.

Philosophy Dissertation

Philosophy studies are in close proximity to the other fields of humanities which gives students a wide choice – as some fields intersect with it – in selecting the philosophy dissertation topic. However, it is important to understand that a philosophy dissertation is not like an essay in which one just analyzes and gives one’s opinion.

Unlike essays, it is a deep topic in terms of understanding. Hence, a lot of hard work is required in the process of writing a philosophy dissertation. If philosophy is considered a wide subject and its works are elaborated in a true sense then philosophy dissertation titles would cover many pages, for the range of topics become quite broad.

Nonetheless, the following topics are as per the understanding and capability of students. Hence they can pick one of them for a philosophy dissertation.

Good Philosophy Dissertation Topics

• The concept of justice in ancient Greek philosophy
• The influence of Kant’s moral theory on modern ethical thought
• The concept of the self in Eastern and Western philosophy
• The role of reason in the philosophy of Descartes
• The concept of freedom in the philosophy of John Locke
• The influence of Nietzsche’s philosophy on contemporary cultural thought
• The concept of the good life in the philosophy of Aristotle
• The influence of feminist philosophy on social and political theory
• The concept of mind-body dualism in the philosophy of René Descartes
• The role of language in the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein
• The concept of freedom in the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre
• The influence of Marxist philosophy on political theory
• The concept of the divine in medieval philosophy
• The role of consciousness in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant
• The concept of the unconscious in the philosophy of Sigmund Freud
• Discussing the theories on rationality with special reference to Plato and John Searle
• Discussing the views of Foucault and Mills regarding power
• Analyzing the work of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke
• A critical analysis of Rousseau’s social contract theory
• Discussing Neo-Platonism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism
• Comparing the Romantic, Post-Romantic, and Enlightenment periods
• A critical analysis of the philosophies of Kant and Mill
• Discussing and analyzing Pythagorean theory
• A definition of divorce in different societies
• Discussing Absurdity in the views of Albert Camus
• Discussing the human nature theories
• Writing a critical analysis of Plato’s ‘Republic’
• Discussing the role of truth in freedom
• The ideas of Socrates in the modern world
• An experiment of philosophy

Trending Philosophy Dissertation Topics

• While referring to Bertrand Russell’s theory of Atomism discussing the problem of language
• Discussing responsibility in the light of freedom and determinism
• Discussing the role of religion in morality
• Analysis of the works of Plato, Mill, and Nietzsche from the perspective of moral character
• Addressing reason, nature, and God in the views of Nietzsche and Spinoza
• Analyzing the natural philosophy in the light of Greek beliefs
• Moral virtues and moral defects – a critical analysis
• Analyzing the history of philosophy
• Discussing human rights in the current century
• Describing major moral theories
• The influence of existentialist philosophy on literature and art
• The concept of the sublime in the philosophy of Edmund Burke
• The role of skepticism in the philosophy of David Hume
• The concept of the social contract in the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes
• The influence of Stoic philosophy on modern thought
• The concept of the soul in ancient Greek philosophy
• The role of empiricism in the philosophy of John Locke
• The concept of determinism in the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza
• The influence of postmodern philosophy on cultural theory
• The concept of the self in the philosophy of Martin Heidegger

I hope these ideas are helpful! Philosophy is a broad and fascinating field, and there are many other topics that could be explored in a dissertation. If you have a particular area of interest, you may want to consider focusing your topic in that direction. Good luck with your dissertation!

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60 Fascinating Philosophy Dissertation Topics on 5 Different Branches

Table of Content

2. Politics

3. anthropology, 5. aesthetics.

Philosophy is a discipline that is applied to almost every area of our lives. The subject deals with many different problems in various fields, such as knowledge, culture, wisdom, values, and so on. While studying this subject, students often cross their path with various academic writing tasks, and in that dissertation is the most important one.

Writing a philosophy dissertation is tedious because it presents many challenges, as most philosophy topics have no specific answers. Such questions entirely rely on critical thinking that students have to develop to defend their arguments effectively. 

Many students struggle to find unique and trending  philosophy dissertation topics . Are you looking for the same? In this blog, we have explained different areas of philosophy and dissertation topics related to them. Go through the list and choose the topic that resonates with your interest.

What Are the Main Branches of Philosophy?

Before you pick any topic for your dissertation, it is essential to know all the main areas of philosophy. It will help you narrow down the area of your interest and select the best topic to write a perfect dissertation .

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that involves defending and systematizing the different concepts of right and wrong behaviour. It basically deals with resolving questions related to human morality by defining concepts for good and evil.

Every opinion that involves political arguments to solve major societal problems comes under philosophical politics. One may characterize politics as the activities and practices that are concerned with the government.

The main aim of anthropology is to study empirical investigations of human nature. It helps in understanding different individuals that create their values related to putting some efforts into research.

It is another branch of philosophy that deals with different sets of questions related to predication, identity, truth, and necessity. It is about applying formal logical techniques to every philosophical problem in the world.

Aesthetics is the philosophical branch that deals with the appreciation of different art, beauty, and good taste. It is also termed as a critical reflection of art because people who study this branch always learn to admire the right things and forget about extracting flaws from anything.

These are the five different branches of philosophy. Our experts have provided the most interesting and unique topics on every branch to make sure you choose an effective one for your dissertation.

Let's get started with the most philosophy dissertation topics on ethics.

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Best Ethics Philosophy Dissertation Topics

• How to compare the education quality on the basis of teaching business ethics to students in developed and underdeveloped countries?
• How is the concept of 'aesthetics' and 'business ethics' are interlinked with each other?
• How is bribery completely against the business ethics?
• The ethics perspective: What motivates a company's business decisions?
• How do business ethics contribute to winning employee trust?
• What is the impact of ethical decision making on online business operations?
• Why does ethical business decision making come under historical countdown?
• What is the role of the share market, and how it contributes to exploring business code?
• Why is it mandatory to get rid of corporate egoism for effective business decision making?
• University students in business institutes in the USA - An exploration of business ethics perceptions and practice
• How to conduct a critical analysis by discussing management ethics on the market failure approach?
• How does an extensive literature review on business ethics help in discussing the parameters of hiring an employee?

Politics Philosophy Dissertation Ideas for College Students

• What is the role of government and people in making the country corruption-free?
• Why must the citizens hold a right to learn about the wealth of crucial politicians who are governing different states of any country?
• What are the biggest threats to the United Kingdom's foreign policy?
• Why should there be a good transparency among different political groups?
• How can one explain that democracy is the best way to run any nation?
• Are the governments around the globe taking enough measures to cope with environmental issues like global warming?
• Discuss the changes and impacts brought by the political party in the United Kingdom since they came to power
• How has the evolution of the internet changed the practice of election campaigns in recent times?
• Do imposing ban on illegal practices related to gambling and lotteries have any relation with political parties?
• How to compare and contrast the functions of the legislative and executives in the presidential and parliamentary system of the UK government?
• In the wake of the UK Brexit, How can Britain employ its military, economic, and diplomatic power to improve its position in world politics?
• Why are countries like Iran and Syria punished while Pakistan and China are allowed to get away with international law infringements?

Also Read:  How to Write a Dissertation Proposal to Hear a 'YES' from Professor?

Interesting Philosophy Dissertation Topics on Anthropology

• How one can determine the impact of political systems on individual societies by using anthropological research?
• How to explain the expansion and development of anthropology in the late 20th and 21st centuries?
• Why is it important to study the comparison of different art forms in an anthropological context in Eastern countries and non-Eastern countries?
• How professionals of Ayurveda discovered and developed medical treatments to cure many rare and deadly diseases?
• Explain the significance of social anthropology in relation to the overall subject of anthropology
• Explain the importance of trust in the client-lawyer relationship
• What can students learn about themselves through anthropological research?
• What are all evidence of devolution that contributed a significant amount of knowledge over the past million years?
• How is the field of semiotics used by anthropologists while studying linguistic anthropology?
• In relation to nutritional anthropology, what have been the significant consequences and benefits of globalization?
• What are the major difference between biological and physical anthropology?
• How cultural and religious anthropology help general people understand more about themselves?

Trending Logic Philosophy Dissertation Topic Ideas

• What are the key parameters that hold students thinking and increases their IQ level?
• What do students study in advanced logic?
• Explain axiomatic propositional logic with relevant examples.
• Describe the deduction theorem in reference to mathematics and present all the key elements by citing relevant examples in it.
• What is the modal logic and how professors teach students this mathematical logical reasoning by giving relevant examples given in the textbook?
• On what basis experts tell that physical science alone cannot explain the conscious experience?
• What are the key reasons behind not declaring humanity as a supreme religion?
• Is there any logic behind killing people in the name of religion?
• How to evaluate the relationship between war and peace?
• Why should parents be held responsible for the actions of their kid?
• How can one connect traditions supported by humanity and force people to follow them as customs?
• What moral obligation do develop nations have to address issues such as famine?

Also Read:  How to Write a Dissertation Title? | Tips & Examples Included!

Philosophy Dissertation Topics & Ideas on Aesthetics

• Is there any fine relationship between morality and arts?
• How does art specialists relate economic power to class structure?
• What are the characteristics of aesthetic intelligence, and how does it relate to other sorts of intelligence?
• Why is it necessary to find the relationship between fine art, commercial art, and craftwork in the field of aesthetics?
• Why do researchers suggest enhancing a clear conceptual methodological attention to workplace aesthetics?
• Why universities and different research centers are interested in neuroaesthetics and empirical aesthetics?
• Why is there a difficulty in understanding aesthetic theology?
• What technique is helpful in finding the Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity Test (VAST)?
• Is there any legal act that helps in regulating aesthetic and cosmetic treatments in the UK?
• Which ‘normative' dimension determine to create a good perception in the residents of the UK?
• What factors signify semiotics a simple dimension of aesthetics?
• Which method is considered as the best for effective measurement of architectural aesthetics in private and public buildings?

These are a few philosophy dissertation topics on five different branches. It is quite normal if you get stuck or confused about choosing a topic when you have so many topics in front of you. If you are struggling with the same, you must seek assistance from our professional writers.

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Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

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• Student Portal

Dissertations & Theses

Ph.d. dissertations + m.a. theses.

Here, to the best of our ability to reconstruct it, is a list of all Ph.D. dissertations and master's theses ever written in our department. (For a shorter list of only more recent Ph.D. dissertations, see our page of placement information .) Note that, until 1929, the Department of Philosophy was not distinct from the Department of Psychology at Indiana University. This helps to explain some of the titles below that nowadays might be thought odd to find in a Department of Philosophy. Nevertheless, even Dr. Tugman's 1912 dissertation on the English sparrow — which is as pure a piece of empirical psychology as one could require (it even contains a discussion of how to handle the sparrows) — says it is submitted for the Ph.D. in Philosophy, not Psychology. The same goes for the pre-1929 M.A. theses listed below.

Ph.D. Dissertations

Daniel Buckley, Evidence and Epistemic Normativity

Uri Eran,  Kant's Theory of Emotion: Toward a Systematic Reconstruction

Daniel Lindquist,  Hegel's Critique of Kant's Philosophy of Biology  

Elisabeth Lloyd, 2021 Advanced Study Program Postdoctoral Fellow, National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado

Monica Morrison,  A Socio-Epistemic Theory of Climate Model Development  

Levi Tenen, From Heirlooms to Nature: An Account of Extrinsic Final Value James Andrew Smith, Jr., Science as the Pursuit of Truth: On Quine’s Naturalism

Kevin Mills, Empirical Knowledge in Normative Reasoning

Wade Munroe,  Rationality and Higher-Order Evidence

Hao Hong, Truth and Reality

Dylan Black, A Philosophical Framework for the Science of Consciousness

Emmalon Davis, Testifying Across Difference: Responsibility for Interpersonal and Structural Epistemic Injustice

Noam Hoffer, Kant’s Theoretical Conception of God

Tufan Kiymaz , Phenomenal Knowledge of Physical Facts: What Mary Didn't Know about Physicalism

Tim Perrine, Accurate Representation and Epistemic Value

Sommerlatte, Curtis, The Central Role of Cognition in Kant's Transcendental Deduction

Krista Rodkey, Hume on Sympathy: Justice, Politeness, and Beauty

Mason, Sharon, Knowledge and the First-Person Perspective

Woodward, Philip, The Emergence of Mental Content: An Essay on the Metaphysics of Mind

Saxon, Michael, Drones and Contemporary Conflict: Just War Theory and the US Drone Wars

Houser, Kevin, Suffering, Acknowledgement, and the Ehtical Space of Reasons

Blake, Susan, Mental Content and Epistemic Foundations

Jankovic, Marija, Conventional Meaning

Palmer, Elizabeth, Facts as reasons: The Role of Experience in Empirical Justification

Rings, Michael, The Aesthetic Cosmopolitan Project

Carlson, Matthew, The Structure of Logical Knowledge

Gonnerman, Chad, Concepts in psychology: Towards a better hybrid theory

Han, Gwahee, Integrity as a moral virtue

Jones, Derek, Primitive Agency

Koss, Michael, Semantic and Mathematical Foundations for Intuitionism

Cheung, Kwok-Tung, Doxastic Involuntarism, Epistemic Deliberation and Agency

Gehring, Allen, Truthmaker Theory and Its Application

Harris, Steven, Artifacts and Human Cognitive Agency

McAninch, Andrew, Holding Me to My Word: The Normative Avowal View of Rational Agency

Phillips, Luke, Aestheticism from Kant to Nietzsche

Talcott, David, Metaphysics and Religion in Plato’s Euthyphro

Theurer, Kari,   Rethinking Reductionism: From 17th Century Mechanism to Contemporary Molecular Neuroscience

Buckner, Cameron, Learning from mistakes: error-correction and the nature of cognition

Lopez, Jason, The process of defining self-deception

Wang, Ellie Hua,  Toward an Empirically Grounded Theory of Virtues for Consequentialism

Churchill, John, Mental Causation and the Problem of Causal Exclusion .

Diener, David, The Supremacy and Irrelevance of Reason: Kierkegaard’s Understanding of Authority in the Second Authorship .

Kirchner, Daniel, Sittlichkeit and the Ancient View of the Self in Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit .

Lee, Jaeho, Explanation and Its Place In Metaphysical and Scientific Inquiries .

Bassett, Gregory, Searching for Normativity .

Burkhart, Brian, Respect for Kinship: Toward an Indigenous Environmental Ethics .

Aumann, Antony, Kierkegaard on the Need for Indirect Communication .

Jacobs, Jonathan, Causal Powers, A Neo-Aristotelian Metaphysic .

Im, Seungpil, A Study of Kant’s Dreams of a Spirit Seer: Kant’s Ambiguous Relation to Swedenborg.

Alexander, Joshua, Philosophical Intuitions and Experimental Philosophy .

Keele, Lisa, Theories of Continuity and Infinitesimals: Four Philosophers of the Nineteenth Century .

Theiner, Georg, From Extended Minds to Group Minds: Rethinking the Boundaries of the Mental.

Ceballes, John. Hearing the Call of Reason: Kant and Publicity.

Kimble, Kevin. The Intentional Structure of Phenomenal Awareness.

Klein, Alexander M. The Rise of Empiricism: William James, Thomas Hill Green, and the Struggle over Psychology.

McDonald, Brian E. Constraint Variational Semantics.

Seymour, Melissa. Duties of Love and Kant's Doctrine of Obligatory Ends.

Abramson, Darren. Computability and Mind.

Demir, Hilmi. Error Comes with Imagination: A Probabilistic Theory of Mental Content.

Stephen James Crowley. A Complex Story About Simple Inquiries: Micro-epistemology and Animal Cognition.

Tropman, Beth. Moral Realism and the New Intuitionism.

Murakami, Yuko. Modal Logic of Partitions.

Werner, Daniel. Myth and Philosophy in Plato's Phaedrus.

Wolsing, Jennifer. Free at Last: A Libertarian Defense of Free Will.

Conolly, Brian Francis. Studies in the Metaphysics of Dietrich von Freiberg.

Jain, Pragati. Validity and Its Epistemic Roles.

Lindland, Erik. Kierkegaard on Self-Deception.

Shaw, Joshua. Putting Ethics First: Reconsidering Emmanuel Levinas's Ethical Metaphysics.

Brown, Karen Leigh. Epistemic Possibilities and the Sources of Belief.

Dalton, Eric. Analyticity, Holism and Conceptual Role Semantics.

Farin, Ingo. Studies in Early Heidegger (1919–1923).

Gottlieb, Michah. The Ambiguity of Reason: Mendelssohn's Writings on Spinoza.

Morton, Brian P. R. Ineffability and Self-Refutation: Non-Monotonic Logic in the Thought of Pseudo-Dionysius, Sextus Empiricus, and the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita.

Pamental, Matthew P. Naturalized Human Agency and the Emergence of Norms: Placing Dewey's Ethics on the Map.

Corry, Richard Lachlan. A Causal-Structural Theory of Empirical Knowledge.

Guldmann, Rony. Two Orientations towards Human Nature.

Kaniike, Yoichi. Carnap's Conception of Wissenshaftslogik.

Keele, Rondo Patten. Formal Ontology in the Fourteenth Century: The Chatton Principle and Ockham's Razor.

Janiak, Andrew. Kant's Newtonianism.

Kim, Hans Eung. The Problem of Indexicality.

Liang, Caleb. Toward an Understanding of Objectivity: A Study of the Realism/Antirealistm Debate and the Nature of Empirical Content.

Barceló Aspeita, Axel Arturo. Mathematics as Grammar: 'Grammar' in Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Mathematics during the Middle Period.

DiLeo, Jeffrey R. Is There a Text in Philosophy: Writing, Style, Rhetoric and Culture.

Musselman, Jack Green. Judicial Craftmanship at the Supreme Court: A Critical Legal Studies Examination of Court Crafts Informing the Hate Speech Debate (2 vols).

Pook, David Olson. Objectivity, Skepticism, and the Realistic Spirit in Ethics.

Bolyard, Charles. Knowledge, Certainty, and Propositions Per se notae: A Study of Peter Auriol.

Chemero, Anthony P. How To Be an Anti-Representationalist.

Grueso, Delfin Ig. Justice and Monirities: An Evaluation of John Rawls' Political Liberalism.

DeLancy, Craig. Emotion, Action, and Intentionality.

Edwards, James G. Justification as Intra-Personal Argumentation.

Kennedy, Thomas V. Impartiality and the Moral Domain.

Zheng, Yiwei. Bad Faith, Authenticity, and Pure Reflection in Jean-Paul Sartre's Early Philosophy.

Hardy, James Hintze. Instantial Reasoning, Arbitrary Objects, and Holey Propositions.

Kovach, Adam. A Species of Good: An Essay on Truth as a Kind of Value.

Lee, Byeong Deok. The Paradox of Belief Instability and a Revision Theory of Belief.

Ray, Carolyn. Identity and Universals: A Conceptualist Approach to Logical, Metaphysical, and Epistemological Problems of Contemporary Identity Theory.

Hogg, Charles R., Jr. Ethics secundum stoicos: An Edition, Translation, and Critical Essay.

Mattox, John Mark. Saint Augustine and the Theory of the Just War.

Miller, Pamela. The Implications of John Dewey's Ideas for Environmental Ethics.

Rosenberg, Gregg Howard. A Place for Consciousness: Probing the Deep Structure of the Natural World.

Fry, Jeffrey P. Self-Esteem, Moral Luck, and the Meaning of Grace.

Shimojima, Atsushi. On the Efficacy of Representation.

Eberle, Ruth. Diagrams and Natural Deduction: Theory and Pedagogy of Hyperproof.

Hammer, Eric. M. Diagrams, Logic and Representation.

Luengo, Isabel. Diagrams in Geometry.

Marquez, Ivan. Rorty, Reason, and Modernity's Quest for Freedom and Equality.

Schönfield, Martin. Kant's Early Philosophy of Nature: Science and Metaphysics.

Steeves, H. Peter. Toward a Phenomenological Ethic of Community.

Morado, Raymundo. Fault-Tolerant Reasoning.

Parker, Surekha Gillian. An Aesthetic Theory for Metaphor: How to Avoid Beating a Good Metaphor to Death.

Santory Jorge, Anayra O. The Moral Force of Philosophy.

Yoon, Bosuk. The Problem of Naturalizing Intentionality.

Chalmers, David John. Toward a Theory of Consciousness.

Curtis, Gary Nelson. The Concept of Logical Form.

Chapuis, André. Circularity, Truth, and the Liar Paradox.

Syverson, Paul F. Logic, Convention, and Common Knowledge.

Vaughan, Christopher. Pure Reflection: Self-Knowledge and Moral Understanding in the Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre.

Hicks, Stephen Ronald Craig. Foundationalism and the Genesis of Justification.

Ning, Yin-Bin. A Post-Philosophical Essay on Knowledge/Power: Richard Rorty, Anti-Foundationalism, and the Possibility of an Alternative Epistemology. </p

Beavers, M. Gordon. Topics in Lukasiwicz Logics.

Houng, Yu-Houng. Classicism, Connectionism, and the Concept of Level.

Lee, In Tak. A Critique of the Universalist Theory of Ethical Justification: Habermas vs. the Contextualist Point of View.

Soraj, Hongladarom. Imagination in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.

Dixon, Bobby R. The Master-Slave Dialectic in the Writings of Ralph Ellison: Toward a Neo-Hegelian Synthesis.

Favila, José Manuel. Intersubjectivity of Indexical Thoughts.

Foulks, Frank. A Phenomenal Semantic Frame for the Semiotics of Contrapuntal Theory.

Holland, Monica. Beliefs Based on Emotional Reception: Their Formation, Justification and Truth.

Mares, Edwin David. The Logic of Fictional Discourse.

Armijos, Gonzalo. Marxism, Pragmatism, and Historical Realism: An Epistemological Appraisal.

Freund, Max A. Formal Investigations of Holistic Realist Ramified Conceptualism.

Kalumba, Kibuggo M. The Common Good as a Mandate for the Official Catholic Church's Support for, And Participation in, the Various Revolutionary Movements in Latin America.

Maróstica de Gomez, Ana. Peirce's Conceptions of Truth: A Tychist Approach.

Palma, Adriano. Indexicality.

Jetli, Priyedarshi. The Origins of a Realist Conception of Relations in Plato's Phaedo.

Katz, Sheri. Ontology and Epistemology in John Scottus Eriugena.

Day, Timothy Joseph. Infinite Regress Arguments: Some Metaphysical and Epistemological Problems.

Kill, Kathleen. A Theory of Events.

Herrera, Alejandro Ibanez. Leibniz on Existence.

Landini, Gregory. Meinong Reconstructed versus Early Russell Reconstructed: A Study in the Formal Ontology of Fiction.

Morris, Robert Allan. A Complementarity Thesis for Doxastic Truth.

Orilia, Francesco. Natural Language Semantics and Guise Theory.

Bahlul, Raja. Sameness and Similarity and the Identity of Indiscernibles.

Cohen, Daniel H. The Logic of Conditional Assertions.

Etuk, Udo A. Ethical Postulates for African Development.

Gomez, Ricardo J. Kant's Pre-Transcendental Conception of Science.

Kim, Hyo-Myung. Constant Conjunction and Necessity: A Study in Hume's Theory of Causation.

Kincaid, Harold. Hegel and Holistic Explanation.

Wahl, Russell. Propositions and Facts in the Early Philosophy of Bertrand Russell.

Laycock, Steven William. Intersubjectivity and the Divine Envisionment.

Schoenig, Richard Keith. Primary and Secondary Qualities.

Lesses, Glenn. Desire and Motivation in Plato: Issues in the Psychology of the Early Dialogues and the Republic.

Macdonald, J. Ellis. On Truth and Falsehood in the Extra-Moral Sense: A Translation and Critical Study.

Pendlebury, Michael John. Believing.

Weber, Gregory Dean. Theory of Purposive Behavior, Desire, and Belief, with Applications to the Issues of Materialism and the Objectivity of Value Judgments.

Wilt, Lawrence J. M. Franz Brentano's Epistemology for Ethics.

Fleming, Roger A. A Relativist Theory of Truth and the Problem of Skepticism.

Momoh, Campbell Shittu. An African Conception of Being and the Traditional Problem of Freedom and Determinism.

Dipert, Randall R. Development and Crisis in Late Boolean Logic: The Deductive Logics of Peirce, Jevons and Schröder.

Maloney, J. Christopher. A Philosophical Theory of Perception.

Seiferth, David M. The Grounds of Moral Rightness.

Kapitan, Tomis. Foundations for a Theory of Propositional Form, Implication, Alethic Modality and Generalization.

McKinsey, Thomas Michael. The Reference of Proper Names: A Critical Essay in the Philosophy of Language.

Rapaport, William Joseph. Intentionality and the Structure of Existence.

MacCarthy, Mark Michael. On Methodological Individualism.

Geels, Donald Eugene. False Beliefs and Possible States of Affairs.

Fletcher, James John. Generalization in Art Criticism and the Role Therin of Paradigmatic Aesthetic Objects.

Freeman, James B. Algebraic Semantics for Modal and Relevant Predicate Logics.

Hunt, Walter Murray. An Examination of Some Problems about the Nature of "Moral" Situations and Their Role in Ethics.

Nute, Donald. Identification and Demonstrative Reference.

Beversluis, John. The Connection between Duty and Happiness in Kant's Moral Philosophy.

Cadwallader, Eva Hauel. Nicolai Hartmann's Twentieth-Century Value Platonism.

Williams, Clifford. 'Now', Interchangeability without a Change of Truth Value, and Time.

Williams, Thomas Raymong. The Ideal Observer Theory in Ethics.

Dreher, John Hugo. A Study of Human Action.

Heizer, Ruth Bradfute. A Critique of Karl Popper's Solution to the Problem of Induction.

Hull, Richard T. The Role of the Principle of Acquaintance in Contemporary Disputes over the Relation of Mental, Perceptual, and Physical.

Nassar, Alan George. The Ontological Argument and the Problem of God.

Barford, Robert. The Criticisms of the Theory of Forms in the First Part of Plato's Parmenides.

Marquis, Donald Bagley. Scientific Realism and the Antinomy of External Objects.

Roberts, Lawrence D. John Duns Scotus and the Concept of Human Freedom.

Samuelson, Norbert. The Problem of God's Knowledge in Gersonides: A Translation of and Commentary to Book Three of the Milhamot Adonai.

Scott, Stephen Hamilton. Universals and Ontological Analysis.

Park, Désirée. Berkeley's Theory of Notions.

Bayles, Michael D. Rule Utilitarianism and an Enlightened Moral Consciousness.

Hanke, John W. The Ontological Status of the Work of Art in the Aesthetics of Maritain.

Perreiah, Alan R. Is There a Doctrine of Supposition in the Logica Magna?

Vollrath, John. Actions and Events.

Allen, Allan J. Moral Judgment and the Concept of a Universal Imperative with Special Reference to Kant.

Clatterbaugh, Kenneth C. The Problem of Individuation.

Cooper, William F. Francesco Romero's Theory of Value.

Gram, Moltke S. Two Theories of the A Priori.

Robinsin, William S. Perception and Reference.

Galligan, Edward Michael. Plato and the Philosophy of Language.

Howard, Vernon Alfred. The Academic Compromise on Free Will in Nineteenth Century American Philosophy: A Study of Thomas C. Upham's A Philosophical and Practical Treatise on the Will (1834).

Perkins, Robert L. Kierkegaard and Hegel: The Dialectical Structure of Kierkegaard's Ethical Thought.

Peterson, John. Logical Atomism and the Realism-Nominalism Issue: A Critique of Contemporary Atomism from the Viewpoint of Classical Realism.

Dietl, Paul Joseph. Explanation and Action: An Examination of the Controversy between Hume and Some of His Contemporary Critics.

Tovo, Jerome. The Experience of Causal Efficacy in Whitehead and Hume.

Young, Theodore A. Change in Aristotle, Descartes, Human, and Whitehead: An Essay in Philosophy of Nature.

Lineback, Richard H. The Place of the Imaginatiion in Hume's Epistemology.

Wisadavet, Wit. Sartre's and the Buddhist's Concept of Man.

Davis, Clarence George. Obligation and Aspiration in Ethics.

Anton, Peter Achilles. Empiriciam and Analysis.

Kleis, Sander J. Brightman's Idea of God.

Smyth, Richard A. Kant's Theory of Reference.

Owsley, Richard Mills. The Moral Philosophy of Karl Jaspers.

Churchill, James Spencer. Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics.

Lord, Catherine. The Cognitive Import of Art, with Reference to Kant's Theory of Aesthetic Judgment.

Rukavina, Thomas. Heidegger as Critic of Western Thinking.

Faruki, Mohamed Zuhdi Taji. The Universal Categories of Charles Sanders Peirce.

Hayes, Frank Ambrose. Platonic Elements in Spinoza's Theory of Method.

Frye, Robert Edward. Pragmatism in Recent Non-Pragmatic Systems: Santayana, Bergson, Whitehead.

Carmichael, Douglas. Order and Human Value.

Kramer, Richard Neil. The Ontological Foundations of Negatives.

Mayfield, William Hollingsworth. Platonism and Christianity in the Work of Paul Elmer More.

Al-Faruqi, Isma'il R. On Justifying the Good.

Reeves, George Cooper.  The Philosophy of Tommaso Campanella with Special Reference to His Doctrine of the Sense of Things and of Magic, with a Translation of Books 1 and 2 and a Bibliography.

Baker, Arthur Mulford.  The River of God: The Source-Stream for Morals and Religion.

Tugman, Eupha May Foley.  Light Discrimination in the English Sparrow.

Master's Theses

Gottschling, David.  Moral Philosophy's Double Vision: Toward a More Coherent Moral Philosophy.

Taliano, Lisa Toni.  The Tragic Affirmation of Life: A Critical Analysis of Nietzsche and Van Gogh.

Vári, Peter.  Wittgenstein and the Problem of Relations.

DiLeo, Jeffrey R.  Charles S. Peirce on Proper Names and Haecceitism.

Tilton, Louis.  Sartre's Theory of the Group.

Dreher, John Hugo.  A Theory of Knowledge for Empiricism.

Evans, Fred J.  Whitehead's Philosophy of Mind.

Johnson, Anita Louise.  Activity, Labor, and Human Nature in Karl Marx.

Johnston, Thomas Michael.  The Process of Transition in Whitehead's Metaphysics.

Larrabee, Mary Jeanne.  Intentionality in Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger: A Comparative Study of Ideen I and Sein und Zeit.

Hamrick, William B.  Time in the Philosophies of Whitehead and Merleau-Ponty.

Hunt, Walter Murray.  The Situationism of Joseph Fletcher: An Examination of Some of Its Philosophical Bases.

Learned, Stephen Paul.  The Austin-Strawson Debate on Truth.

Moon, Donald Le Rue.  Max Scheler's Phenomenology of Religion: The Self-Givenness of the Divine and Human Consciousness.

Gale, Kenneth E.  Descartes: The Cogito, Substance, and Individuation.

Goldenbaum, Donald M.  Ambiguities in Certain Arguments for the Existence of External Objects.

Hammond, John Elwyn.  Collingwood's Theory of Presuppositions: The Road to a New Metaphysics.

Krausz, Michael.  On Method in Metaphysics: A Modular Analysis for Criticism of Philosophical Theories.

Pil'l, Anne Kimino Uemura.  Cogito, ergo sum: A Critical Analysis of Jaakko Hintikka's Interpretation.

Mueller, Robert W. An Examination of the Meaning of the Socratic Paradoxes.

Kuo, David Dah-Chuen. Kant's Method and His Deduction of the Categories.

Williams, Thomas Raymong. A Critique of the Rationalistic Ethical Theory Presented in Marcus Singer's Generalization in Ethics.

Lineback, Richard H. An Introduction to Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments.

Leonard, Marilyn Rosenthein. Propositions and Atomic Propositions.

Stamatakos, Bess Makris. On Being Both Red and Blue All Over at the Same Time.

Galligan, Edward Michael. Towards the Understanding of Parmenides' Way of Truth.

Gavrilis, Nicholas. Non-Cognitive Ethics: An Examination of Five Contemporary Ethical Writers.

D'Abbracci, Anthony Robert. Order vs. the Arbitrary: St. Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus.

Perkins, Robert L. Aesthetics and Existence: Some Kierkegaardian Themes.

Smyth, Richard A. Intuition and Concept: A Study in Kantian Logic.

Jager, Ronald. Language, Truth and Intentional Logic.

Burkhardt, Phillip Edward. Monad and Universe: Some IMplication of Leibniz' Concept.

Davis, Clarence George. Religious Experiences.

Rukavina, Thomas. Fundamental Ontology in the Philosophy of Martin Heidegger.

Ogden, Joan Barbara. The Square of Opposition: An Evaluation of the Current Controversy.

Pietersma, Henry. Freedom and Man: An Essay on Jean-Paul Sartre's View of Existential Freedom as Found in His L'Etre et le néant.

Wasserman, Irving. Realism and Historicism: A Study of the Philosophy of R. G. Collingwood.

Crimmel, Henry H. The Copernican Revolution in Philosophy.

Young, Theodore A. Being and Analogy: The Role of Metaphysical Analogy in Classical Realism, Josiah Royce and R. G. Collingwood.

Anton, Peter. Empiricism and Solipsism.

Conger, Mary Janeway. The Erotic Bird: Platonism and Wallace Stevens.

Frye, Robert Wedard. John Locke as Rationalist.

Allen, Jerome Lawson. Justice and Necessity in Plato.

Sikma, Barney. God and Man: A Comparative Study of Epictetus the Stoic and St. Paul the Apostle.

Achamma, John. An Interpretation of Gandhi's Religious Philosophy in the Light of Bergson's Two Sources of Morality and Religion.

Kramer, Richard Neil. The Nature of Causation.

Owsley, Richard Mills. The Concept of Evolutionary Progress and the Philosophies of Two Biologists.

Bullock, Robert Lee. Latent Pragmatism in the Philosophy of Schopenhauer.

Burkhart, Reginald Keith. The Aristotelian Syllogism and Causation.

Kellermann, Frederick D. Socrates and Christianity.

Al-Faruqi, Isma'il R. The Ethics of Reason and the Ethics of Life (Kantian and Nietzschean Ethics).

Barber, Richard Leslie. A Reinterpretation of the Significance of the Calculus of Classes for Aristotelian Logic.

Parker, Francis Howard. A critical examination of Professor Kantor's interbehavioral description of thinking.

Jeanes, Charlotte Ann. The Ontological Status of Ought, Based on a Study of the Ought Concepts of Hartmann and Urban.

Pitz, Sally A. The Intentional Fallacy Issue.

Van Liere, Donald Wilbur. The Relation of Virtue to Knowledge with Special Reference to Plato's Protagoras.

Harshman, Hardwick W. Immortality in Plato.

Reagan, Gordon Lober. An Analysis and Redefinition of the Concept of Organic Unisty as an Essential Property of Aesthetic Objects.

Muedeking, George Herbert. The Basis for Ethics: The Contribution of Christianity to a Theory of Ethics.

Mason, Robert E. A Semantic Alphabet for Philosophy.

Meloy, John Wilson. The Nature and Function of Religious Experience: A Study in the Philosophy of Religion.

Keller, Samuel E. Business ethics and the N.R.A. codes; an ethical analysis of business with special references to the codes prepared to comply with the requirements of the National industrial recovery act of 1933.

Horth, Dudley Shirley. An Examination of Nicolai Hartmann's Ethical Theory.

Knight, Everett Estes. The Constructive Value of Doubt with a Bibliography Appended.

Knight, Homer Guy. Psychology of Initiative.

Llewelyn, Edgar Julius. The Forms of Stimulus which Favor the Radical and Permanent Expansion of Human Energy.

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Mastering Philosophy: Advice For Writing A Dissertation

Writing a dissertation is an important step for those who wish to pursue a career in philosophy. It can be a difficult and intimidating task, requiring significant research and writing skills. Fortunately, with the right strategies, it is possible to master the process of writing a dissertation in philosophy.

This article provides advice for students on how to successfully write a dissertation in philosophy. The advice presented here covers all aspects of the dissertation-writing process, including developing research questions, constructing an argumentative thesis statement, organizing ideas into sections and chapters, formulating persuasive arguments and evidence, and editing.

In addition, this article offers suggestions for resources that will help students develop their understanding of philosophical concepts and terms as well as improve their writing skills. With this guidance, readers can confidently approach the process of writing a successful dissertation in philosophy.

What Is A Dissertation?

A dissertation is a lengthy and detailed written work that presents an original argument based on extensive research. It is typically required to obtain a postgraduate degree, such as a doctorate or master’s degree.

Dissertations are typically composed of multiple chapters and sections that contain the conceptualizing of philosophy, philosophical arguments, philosophical analysis, philosophical implications, and philosophical methodology. This allows for the writer to explore their thesis from various angles and make well-rounded claims.

The dissertation should be written in an academic style, including objective and impersonal language without the use of personal pronouns. The writing should also be engaging for readers who have a subconscious desire for serving others.

The goal of writing a dissertation isn’t just about presenting a theory; it is about providing evidence that supports it as well. The writer must consider how the evidence will interact with their argumentation in order to create an overall cohesive piece of work that can be evaluated by peers and defended against counterarguments.

Once they have presented their thesis in full detail with supporting evidence and analysis, they can draw out the implications of their findings.

Research And Planning

The research and planning stage is crucial for any dissertation. It is important to define your objectives, perform a keyword analysis, manage resources, obtain feedback, and track progress.

Here are 4 tips to help you on this journey:

Define your objectives – setting specific goals can help you stay motivated and focused throughout the writing process.

Perform a keyword analysis – use relevant keywords to ensure that your topic will be relevant to the audience you are targeting.

Manage resources – it is important to carefully manage the time and resources available to you when writing a dissertation. This includes making sure that all materials needed are readily available and that deadlines are met.

Obtain feedback – regularly seek feedback from peers or mentors to ensure that you’re on track with the project and make adjustments where necessary.

Tracking progress is also essential for successful completion of a dissertation project; use an online tracking system or journaling techniques to log milestones achieved and tasks completed along the way so that you always know where you stand in terms of progress made on the project.

Taking these steps will not only help keep you on track but also give you peace of mind as you embark on this exciting endeavor!

Outlining And Structure

Organizing Ideas is an important aspect to consider when writing a dissertation. It involves gathering ideas, classifying them by relevance, and organizing them in a logical manner.

Developing an Outline is a great way to ensure that the dissertation is structured properly and that all relevant information is included. It is also a helpful way to make sure that the research is organized and presented in a concise manner.

Creating a Roadmap is a useful technique to help writers stay on track and organized while writing their dissertation. It provides an overview of the main points and helps writers identify the different sections of the dissertation.

Organizing Ideas

Structuring ideas and information is a critical part of writing a dissertation. Concept mapping, mental models, and logical reasoning are all helpful tools for organizing your ideas when you are outlining and writing your dissertation.

One useful tool for organizing ideas is concept mapping. Concept mapping involves creating diagrams or visual representations of ideas and their relationships to each other.

Mental models are another useful tool for organizing your thoughts. Mental models involve constructing a mental representation of the world around us, in order to better understand how things work or why certain decisions are made.

Finally, logical reasoning is an important skill for structuring your thoughts and arguments in a dissertation. Logical reasoning involves analyzing evidence, forming hypotheses, drawing conclusions based on that evidence, and then testing those conclusions against reality.

By employing these three tools – concept mapping, mental models, and logical reasoning – you can more easily structure your ideas into an organized outline that will help you write an effective dissertation.

Developing An Outline

Once you have structured your ideas with concept mapping, mental models, and logical reasoning, it is time to start developing an outline for your dissertation.

Exploring ideas, identifying problems, and brainstorming solutions are all key components of creating a comprehensive outline.

As you explore the ideas related to your dissertation topic, consider the various ways in which these ideas can be organized.

Having a clear understanding of the main issues and topics will help you form a comprehensive outline.

After brainstorming possible solutions to any identified problems or gaps in your knowledge, use this information to further refine your outline.

This process should help ensure that your dissertation is well-structured and logically presented.

By developing an effective outline for your dissertation, you will be able to create a cohesive argument that follows a logical flow of thought.

Creating A Roadmap

After structuring your ideas and creating an outline for your dissertation, it is important to develop a roadmap of how you will achieve your goals.

This roadmap should include strategies for effectively managing time and referencing resources. In this way, you can ensure that the research process runs smoothly and efficiently.

Additionally, by setting clear goals and milestones, you can monitor your progress along the way and adjust your plan as needed.

Crafting a well-thought-out roadmap will help you stay on track throughout the entire writing process and ensure that each step is taken towards producing a quality dissertation.

Writing The Chapters

Having outlined the dissertation, it’s time to begin writing. It’s important to have a plan for managing time and resources. This includes organizing notes, exploring avenues for research, and developing ideas related to the subject.

The following table provides a guide for managing the process of writing a dissertation:

The first step is to find sources of information relevant to your topic area. These might include books, journal articles, websites, or interviews with experts in the field. This will give you an idea of what has already been written on the subject and provide valuable background information.

Once you have enough resources to begin writing, it’s time to start outlining and structuring your chapters. This involves deciding which topics need to be covered in each chapter, summarizing your research findings, and creating an outline of how the information should be presented.

After this is complete, you can begin writing each chapter one by one. As you write each section make sure that your arguments are clear and supported with evidence from your sources.

Finally, as you near completion of each chapter take some time to proofread and edit your work before moving onto the next one. Following these steps ensures that you remain organized throughout the process of writing a dissertation while also providing yourself ample opportunity for exploration and discovery as you develop ideas related to your topic area.

Editing And Proofreading

Grammar errors are often overlooked when writing an academic paper, but they should be addressed to ensure that the paper is clear and concise.

Fact-checking is an essential step in the editing and proofreading process to ensure that all information presented is accurate and reliable.

Word choice is an important factor to consider when writing an academic paper as it can have a significant impact on the overall quality of the writing.

Grammar Errors

Grammar errors are one of the most common mistakes when editing and proofreading. To help you become a master of language conventions, punctuation marks, and grammar rules, it is important to develop an eye for spotting mistakes.

To do this, read your work aloud or have someone else read it for you. This will help you catch any awkward or incorrect sentence structures that may need to be revised.

Additionally, using online resources such as grammar checkers can also be beneficial in catching any lingering errors. Therefore, mastering grammar is key when editing and proofreading; by reading aloud and utilizing online resources, you can ensure your writing is as accurate and polished as possible.

Fact-Checking

When editing and proofreading, it is also important to ensure that the information presented is accurate. To do this, accuracy checks must be conducted by researching reliable sources and consulting peer review.

This can be done through online research or by speaking with experts in the field to ensure the validity of the information. It is essential to double-check all facts for accuracy when editing and proofreading as it helps maintain credibility and trustworthiness.

By verifying the accuracy of information, you can confidently present a polished piece of writing that will serve your readers well.

Word Choice

When editing and proofreading, it is also essential to pay attention to word choice. Using clear terminology and precise language is important for creating an effective piece of writing that will serve the reader’s needs.

Selecting the right words can help ensure that the message is communicated effectively, without ambiguity or confusion. When selecting vocabulary for your writing, it is important to consider the audience and their level of understanding in order to select words that are appropriate for them.

Doing this will help make sure your writing resonates with your readers and provides them with a clear understanding of the message you are conveying. Making sure each word you choose is relevant and meaningful will help you craft a powerful piece of writing that serves its purpose.

Citing Sources Properly

When it comes to academic writing, proper citation of sources is paramount. Not only does citing sources accurately demonstrate thorough research, but it also prevents plagiarism.

To ensure that your dissertation is written in accordance with accepted conventions and referencing guidelines, take the following steps:

Familiarize yourself with the different citation styles used in philosophy (e.g., APA, Chicago).

Research how to cite quotes properly from different types of sources (books, websites, etc.).

Take notes as you read so that you can easily reference where ideas came from when citing them later.

It’s important that you use a consistent style for citing sources throughout your dissertation; not doing so can lead to confusion and mistakes on the part of both you and your reader. Pay close attention to detail when citing sources accurately; this will help demonstrate that your work is of high quality and trustworthy.

Make sure each source is accurately referenced and double-check all citations before submitting your final document.

Formatting And Layout

When formatting and laying out your dissertation, it is important to choose a citation style that is appropriate to the discipline you are writing in. Additionally, it is essential to structure the content of your dissertation in a way that is both coherent and logical, allowing you to effectively communicate your arguments.

Choosing A Citation Style

When formatting and laying out your dissertation, one of the most important things to consider is choosing an appropriate citation style.

Interpreting the rules of each style can be complicated, so it’s important to do your research and determine which method best suits your needs.

Different styles will emphasize different referencing methods, such as placing citations in the body of the text or at the end of each section.

Examples of popular citation styles include APA, Chicago and MLA.

As a tutor, I recommend finding a comprehensive guide outlining the differences between each citation style to ensure that you are accurately citing sources in your dissertation.

Thus, by carefully considering these referencing methods, you can ensure that your dissertation is properly cited and formatted according to your chosen style.

Structuring The Content

When it comes to structuring the content of a dissertation, brainstorming techniques and project management can be extremely helpful.

Taking the time to plan out your ideas prior to writing can make the entire process much more efficient.

Time management is also important in order to ensure that each section of your dissertation is given the appropriate amount of attention.

It’s wise to allocate enough time for research, writing, editing and revising in order to create a cohesive finished product.

Thus, by utilizing these strategies, you can approach structuring your content with greater confidence and achieve success in constructing a well-structured dissertation.

Quality Assurance

Formatting and Layout are important steps in writing a dissertation, but Quality Assurance is just as crucial. Quality assurance involves making sure that the research has been conducted ethically and with rigorous methodologies. Peer review is a key part of this process, as it allows for other researchers to assess the strength of arguments and the quality of data collected.

Argumentative Logic:

• Present clear evidence to support all claims.
• Analyze facts from reliable sources deeply.
• Ensure you have strong supporting sources.

Critical Thinking:

• Analyze deeply to ensure your arguments are sound.
• Use reliable sources to back up your claims.
• Exercise sound judgement in all areas of research.

Research Ethics:

• Follow APA standards and guidelines throughout your dissertation.
• Ensure that you follow all ethical guidelines for conducting research.
• Seek out accurate information from reliable sources.

As an online tutor, it is essential to ensure that your work meets the highest standards of academic rigor. By following these guidelines for argumentative logic, critical thinking, and research ethics, you can guarantee a high-quality dissertation that meets the criteria for excellence in academic writing.

Working With An Advisor

Working with an advisor can be a rewarding experience if there is clear communication and expectations are established. It is important to be as open and clear as possible when discussing goals and objectives with an advisor, to ensure that the dissertation is on track.

Communication

It is important for a student to have strong interpersonal skills when working with an advisor. This includes having the ability to effectively communicate ideas, discuss progress, and ask questions.

Furthermore, it is beneficial to practice oral presentations of research findings in order to gain feedback from peers and advisors.

Additionally, engaging in peer review activities allows students to learn from each other’s work and improve their own research.

Therefore, it is important for students to practice these communication skills in order to successfully collaborate with an advisor on their dissertation project.

Ultimately, engaging in these communication activities will help students become more confident in their research and bolster successful collaboration efforts.

Expectations

When working with an advisor, it is important to have a clear understanding of expectations.

Time management is essential for staying on track and meeting deadlines.

Moreover, critical thinking skills are required when formulating research ideas and responding to feedback from peers and advisors.

Additionally, peer review activities can help students become more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to improve their research.

Therefore, having the ability to effectively manage time, think critically and engage in peer review activities is essential for successful collaboration with an advisor.

In conclusion, effective communication and a clear understanding of expectations are paramount for successful collaboration.

Completing The Dissertation

Completing a dissertation is a challenging and rewarding process. It requires discipline, motivation, organization, and time management in order to be successful.

Finding motivation can be difficult when working on a long-term project with no immediate rewards or feedback. But it is important to keep in mind the end goal and the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing your work.

Managing time effectively is key to making progress on the dissertation while maintaining other obligations such as a job or family commitments. Break down larger tasks into smaller pieces and set achievable goals for each day or week. Don’t forget to take breaks as well in order to stay focused and energized throughout the process.

Seeking feedback from colleagues, mentors, friends, or family can also be beneficial when working on your dissertation. Feedback helps identify strengths and weaknesses in your work that you may have missed while improving clarity of argumentation and structure.

Remember to stay organized by keeping copies of drafts, notes from meetings or phone calls, relevant documents, etc., in one place so they are easily accessible when needed.

Finally, it is essential to remain focused despite any distractions along the way. Set aside dedicated times for writing where possible and avoid multitasking as much as you can during these periods. This will help maximize efficiency and ensure quality work is produced over the duration of the project.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it usually take to write a dissertation.

The time it takes to write a dissertation varies greatly depending on a variety of factors, such as time management, research strategies, mental health and writing techniques.

Generally speaking, it is important to plan ahead and have an effective timeline for completing all the necessary steps associated with writing a successful dissertation.

For example, setting aside specific blocks of time each week dedicated to researching and gathering data can help streamline the process.

Additionally, taking regular breaks in between intense periods of writing and data analysis can be beneficial for maintaining mental health and productivity.

Lastly, having an understanding of the fundamental principles of effective writing can help ensure that the final product is well-written and persuasive.

What Are The Common Mistakes To Avoid When Writing A Dissertation?

Writing a dissertation can be a daunting task, and there are several common mistakes to avoid when undertaking such an important project.

Firstly, it is important to pick topics that are feasible and relevant while ensuring they are not too broad or too narrow.

Additionally, time management is essential; allowing enough time for research, writing, and editing can help make the process less stressful.

Furthermore, when researching ideas and using sources it is important to properly cite them in order to reduce the possibility of plagiarism.

Finally, managing stress levels while working on a dissertation is key as burnout can occur if it becomes overwhelming.

Following these tips can help make writing a dissertation easier and more successful.

What Is The Best Way To Stay Motivated While Writing A Dissertation?

Staying motivated while writing a dissertation is essential for success.

One of the best ways to stay motivated is to set achievable goals, breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Additionally, it is important to research thoroughly and track progress on individual goals in order to have a clear idea of where you are in the process.

Finally, getting feedback from an advisor or mentor can be incredibly helpful in order to stay motivated throughout the process of writing a dissertation.

By following these steps, you will be able to keep yourself focused and motivated throughout your dissertation-writing journey.

What Is The Best Way To Stay Organized While Writing A Dissertation?

Staying organized while writing a dissertation is key to success. Identifying resources and conducting research are essential steps that require effective communication and time management skills.

Additionally, strategies such as avoiding procrastination can help keep things on track. Achieving organization while writing a dissertation means developing an effective plan of action, identifying what needs to be done on a daily basis, and sticking to it.

It also involves being mindful of one’s progress and making necessary adjustments when needed. By following these guidelines, you will be able to stay organized while writing your dissertation.

How Often Should I Consult With My Advisor While Writing A Dissertation?

Consulting with an advisor is an important part of writing a dissertation. Advisors can help students set goals, analyze sources, research methods, and set deadlines. Additionally, they can provide guidance on citing sources correctly.

It is important for students to consult with their advisors regularly throughout the dissertation process in order to stay on track and ensure that their work meets the expectations of their institution. Taking the time to discuss progress and issues early on will save time and energy in the long run.

Writing a dissertation can be a long and daunting process. It is important to remain organized, motivated and focused throughout the entire writing process.

To ensure successful completion of the dissertation, it is essential to avoid common mistakes such as procrastination, being unfocused or disorganized, and not consulting with your advisor often enough.

It is recommended to take plenty of breaks throughout the writing process. This will help maintain focus and motivation.

Additionally, it is beneficial to consult with your advisor regularly for guidance and feedback on your work. This will help ensure that you are on track for completing the dissertation in a timely manner.

Finally, it is important to remember that you are in control of the writing process. Take ownership of your project and stay organized while writing your dissertation.

Writing a dissertation may take several months but with proper planning and discipline you can create an impressive piece of work that will be rewarding both personally and professionally.

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How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow

Published on November 11, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on November 20, 2023.

Choosing your dissertation topic is the first step in making sure your research goes as smoothly as possible. When choosing a topic, it’s important to consider:

• Your institution and department’s requirements
• Your areas of knowledge and interest
• The scientific, social, or practical relevance
• The availability of data and resources
• The timeframe of your dissertation
• The relevance of your topic

You can follow these steps to begin narrowing down your ideas.

Table of contents

Step 1: check the requirements, step 2: choose a broad field of research, step 3: look for books and articles, step 4: find a niche, step 5: consider the type of research, step 6: determine the relevance, step 7: make sure it’s plausible, step 8: get your topic approved, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about dissertation topics.

The very first step is to check your program’s requirements. This determines the scope of what it is possible for you to research.

• Is there a minimum and maximum word count?
• When is the deadline?
• Should the research have an academic or a professional orientation?
• Are there any methodological conditions? Do you have to conduct fieldwork, or use specific types of sources?

Some programs have stricter requirements than others. You might be given nothing more than a word count and a deadline, or you might have a restricted list of topics and approaches to choose from. If in doubt about what is expected of you, always ask your supervisor or department coordinator.

Start by thinking about your areas of interest within the subject you’re studying. Examples of broad ideas include:

• Twentieth-century literature
• Economic history
• Health policy

To get a more specific sense of the current state of research on your potential topic, skim through a few recent issues of the top journals in your field. Be sure to check out their most-cited articles in particular. For inspiration, you can also search Google Scholar , subject-specific databases , and your university library’s resources.

As you read, note down any specific ideas that interest you and make a shortlist of possible topics. If you’ve written other papers, such as a 3rd-year paper or a conference paper, consider how those topics can be broadened into a dissertation.

After doing some initial reading, it’s time to start narrowing down options for your potential topic. This can be a gradual process, and should get more and more specific as you go. For example, from the ideas above, you might narrow it down like this:

• Twentieth-century literature   Twentieth-century Irish literature   Post-war Irish poetry
• Economic history   European economic history   German labor union history
• Health policy   Reproductive health policy   Reproductive rights in South America

All of these topics are still broad enough that you’ll find a huge amount of books and articles about them. Try to find a specific niche where you can make your mark, such as: something not many people have researched yet, a question that’s still being debated, or a very current practical issue.

At this stage, make sure you have a few backup ideas — there’s still time to change your focus. If your topic doesn’t make it through the next few steps, you can try a different one. Later, you will narrow your focus down even more in your problem statement and research questions .

There are many different types of research , so at this stage, it’s a good idea to start thinking about what kind of approach you’ll take to your topic. Will you mainly focus on:

• Collecting original data (e.g., experimental or field research)?
• Analyzing existing data (e.g., national statistics, public records, or archives)?
• Interpreting cultural objects (e.g., novels, films, or paintings)?
• Comparing scholarly approaches (e.g., theories, methods, or interpretations)?

Many dissertations will combine more than one of these. Sometimes the type of research is obvious: if your topic is post-war Irish poetry, you will probably mainly be interpreting poems. But in other cases, there are several possible approaches. If your topic is reproductive rights in South America, you could analyze public policy documents and media coverage, or you could gather original data through interviews and surveys .

You don’t have to finalize your research design and methods yet, but the type of research will influence which aspects of the topic it’s possible to address, so it’s wise to consider this as you narrow down your ideas.

It’s important that your topic is interesting to you, but you’ll also have to make sure it’s academically, socially or practically relevant to your field.

• Academic relevance means that the research can fill a gap in knowledge or contribute to a scholarly debate in your field.
• Social relevance means that the research can advance our understanding of society and inform social change.
• Practical relevance means that the research can be applied to solve concrete problems or improve real-life processes.

The easiest way to make sure your research is relevant is to choose a topic that is clearly connected to current issues or debates, either in society at large or in your academic discipline. The relevance must be clearly stated when you define your research problem .

Before you make a final decision on your topic, consider again the length of your dissertation, the timeframe in which you have to complete it, and the practicalities of conducting the research.

Will you have enough time to read all the most important academic literature on this topic? If there’s too much information to tackle, consider narrowing your focus even more.

Will you be able to find enough sources or gather enough data to fulfil the requirements of the dissertation? If you think you might struggle to find information, consider broadening or shifting your focus.

Do you have to go to a specific location to gather data on the topic? Make sure that you have enough funding and practical access.

Last but not least, will the topic hold your interest for the length of the research process? To stay motivated, it’s important to choose something you’re enthusiastic about!

Most programmes will require you to submit a brief description of your topic, called a research prospectus or proposal .

Remember, if you discover that your topic is not as strong as you thought it was, it’s usually acceptable to change your mind and switch focus early in the dissertation process. Just make sure you have enough time to start on a new topic, and always check with your supervisor or department.

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

• Researchability
• Feasibility and specificity
• Relevance and originality

All research questions should be:

• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

You can assess information and arguments critically by asking certain questions about the source. You can use the CRAAP test , focusing on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.

Ask questions such as:

• Who is the author? Are they an expert?
• Why did the author publish it? What is their motivation?
• How do they make their argument? Is it backed up by evidence?

A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.

Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.

The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.

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Department of Philosophy

Dissertations 1948 - present.

Information on the dissertation topics written by Department of Philosophy Ph.D. recipients can be found in the following documents:

• Ph.D.s by Year (1948 – present)
• Ph.D.s by Last Name