CSS Philosophy is a 100-mark optional paper under Group VI of the CSS optional subjects — Law and Philosophy — offered alongside Criminology, Mercantile Law, Muslim Law and Jurisprudence, International Law, Constitutional Law, and Law. FPSC sets the CSS Philosophy syllabus to cover philosophical methods, epistemology, ontology, ethics, logic, philosophy of mind, Islamic philosophy including Muslim thinkers, and contemporary philosophical movements — spanning both Western and Eastern traditions. CSS aspirants from humanities, social sciences, and Islamic studies backgrounds select this subject for its short syllabus, strong scoring potential, and structured paper pattern — Frank Thilly’s History of Philosophy remains the standard recommended text across CSS preparation resources. Review the CSS optional subjects syllabus for combination rules and group requirements before confirming Philosophy as your optional subject choice.
PHILOSOPHY CSS Syllabus (100 MARKS)
I. Introduction: Definition, Nature and Scope of Philosophy
II. Philosophical Methods: Socratic Method (Socrates); Inductive Method (Bacon, Mill); Deductive Method (Aristotle, Descartes); Dialectical Method (Hegel); Fallibilistic Method (Popper)
III. Epistemology: Rationalism (Plato, Descartes, Spinoza); Empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume); Transcendentalism (Kant); Intuitionism (Bergson)
IV. Ontology: Idealism (Plato, Berkeley); Representative Realism (Locke); Historical and Dialectical Materialism (Marx)
V. Ethics: What is morality? The challenge of cultural relativism; Does morality depend on religion? Psychological and ethical egoism: Virtue Ethics (Aristotle); Moral Absolutism (Kant), Utilitarianism (J.S. Mill); Social Contract Theory (Hobbes, Rawls).
VI. Muslim Thinkers: Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushid, Ibn Khaldun, Shah Waliullah, Muhammad Iqbal.
VII. Contemporary Philosophical Movements: Existentialism (Heidegger, Sartre); Pragmatism (Peirce, James, Dewey); Neo-pragmatism (Rorty); Postmodernism (Lyotard, Foucault, Derrida)
SUGGESTED READINGS
| S.No. | Title | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A History of Western Philosophy | Bertrand Russell |
| 2 | Philosophy: The Power of Ideas | Brooke Noel Moore & Kenneth Bruder |
| 3 | Elements of Moral Philosophy | James Rachels |
| 4 | Existentialism & Human Emotions | Jean Paul Sartre |
| 5 | The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge | Jean-Francois Lyotard |
| 6 | Descartes to Derrida: An Introduction to European Philosophy | Peter Sedgwick |
| 7 | Continental Philosophy in the 20th Century | Richard Kearney |
| 8 | A Short History of Modern Philosophy | Roger Scruton |
| 9 | A History of Muslim Philosophy. Volume I & II | M. M. Sharif |
| 10 | A History of Islamic Philosophy | Majid Fakhry |
| 11 | The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam | Muhammad Iqbal |
| 12 | Iqbal | Mustansir Mir |
| 13 | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (plato.stanford.edu). | Internet Resources |
| 14 | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (www.iep.utm.edu). | Internet Resources |
