UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus Breakdown: Exam Pattern, Marking Scheme, Study Tips, and Best Books

The UGC NET Philosophy syllabus and pattern are meant to assess students’ ideas over key concepts of philosophy and knowledge. It comprises objective questions that assess not just subject-related concepts but also the ability to do research. The UGC NET Philosophy exam is designed to identify a candidate’s excellence in teaching and research-centric professions, as well as their subject-specific in-depth knowledge. As a result, it prioritizes the development of new ideas.

This blog discusses the Philosophy NET Syllabus, patterns, recommended readings, and job opportunities relating to this test.

UGC NET Philosophy: Exam Pattern

Let us talk about the UGC NET philosophy exam pattern. Like the other subjects, the UGC NET Philosophy exam also comprises 150 questions (including paper 1), each worth 2 marks and a total of 300 marks, which will last for three hours. Negative grades will not be assigned to any paper. Candidates are advised to consult UGC NET Paper 1 Syllabus along with UGC NET Philosophy to get better clarity.

The format of the UGC NET Philosophy Exam will be discussed in this section:

Download the Updated UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus

Candidates can download the complete UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus in a PDF format. The file attached below contains the official syllabus of UGC NET Philosophy.

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Marking Scheme of UGC NET Philosophy

Let’s learn about the details of the UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus. Like all the other subjects, the UGC NET Philosophy exam also comprises 150 questions (including paper 1), each worth 2 marks and the entire exam is of 300 marks, which will last for three hours. Negative grades will not be assigned to any paper.

UGC conducts the National Eligibility Test (NET) with the help of the National Testing Agency (NTA)  two times a year (June & December). In UGC NET the question pattern of each discipline follows the same rule. Questions are of objective types Multiple Choice Question,  each question carries 2 marks and there is no negative marking for any wrong attempt.

Download Now: UGC NET Philosophy 6 Years PYQ

Unit-wise UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus for 2025

Let’s discuss the detailed syllabus of UGC NET:

The syllabus for the UGC NET Philosophy exam includes the following ten Units:

Download Now: UGC NET Paper 1 PYQ [6 Years]

UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus

Unit 1: Classical Indian – Epistemology and Metaphysics 

• Vedic and Upaniṣadic: Ṛta – the cosmic order, the divine and the human realms; the centrality of the institution of yajῆa (sacrifice), theories of creation Ātman – Self, Jāgrat, Svapna, Susupti and Brahmaṇ
• Jainism, Buddhism, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya etc.

Unit 2: Classical Western – Ancient, Medieval, and Modern: Epistemology and Metaphysics

• Pre-Socratic Philosophers: Thales, Anaxagoras, Anaximenes, Ionians, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Heraclitus and Democritus.
• Medieval Philosophy
• The Sophists and Socrates: Plato and Aristotle, etc.

Unit 3: Indian Ethics

• Concept of Purusārtha, Śreyas and Preyas
• Varṇāshrama, Dharma, Sādhāraṇa Dharma
• Karma-yoga, Sthitprajῆa, Svadharma, Lokasaṃgraha
• Apurva and Adṛṣta
• Ṛna and yajῆa, Concept of Duty
• Sadhya, Sadhana, Itikartvya
• Astanga Yoga
• Law of Karma, etc.

Unit 4: Western Ethics

• Concepts of Good, right, justice, duty, obligation, cardinal virtues, Eudaemonism, and Intuition as explained in Teleological and Deontological Theories.
• Subjectivism, Cultural Relativism, Super-naturalism
• Egoism, Altruism, Universalism
• Utilitarianism
• Theories of Punishment
• Ethical realism and Intuitionism, etc.

Check Out: Best Books for UGC NET [All Subjects]

Unit 5: Contemporary Indian Philosophy

• Swami Vivekananda: Practical Vedanta, Universal Religion, Religious Experience, Religious Rituals
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati: Reconciliation of the Six Systems of Indian Philosophy
• Sri Aurobindo: Evolution, Integral Yoga, mind and supermind, 
• Muhammad Iqbal: Self, God, Man and superman, Intellect and Intuition
• Rabindranath Tagore: Religion of man, ideas on philosophy, Concept of Nationalism
• Mahatma Gandhi: Truth, Non-violence, satyagraha, swaraj, critique of modern civilization.
• Bhim Rao Ambedkar: Annihilation of caste, philosophy of Hinduism, Neo-Buddhism
• K. C. Bhattacharyya: Swaraj in ideas, Concept of Philosophy, subject as Freedom, the doctrine of Maya, etc.

Unit 6: Recent Western Philosophy

Analytic and Continental Philosophy:

• Frege: Sense and Reference
• Logical Positivism: Verification theory of meaning, Elimination of metaphysics, concept of Philosophy
• Russell: Logical Atomism, Definite Descriptions, Refutation of Idealism
• A. J. Ayer: The Problem of Knowledge 
• Defense of commonsense, Proof of an External World, etc.

Unit 7: Social and Political Philosophy: Indian

• Mahabharata: Danda-niti, foundations, Rajdharma, Law and Governance, Narada’s Questions to King Yudhisthir
• Kautilya: Sovereignty, Seven Pillars of State-craft, State, Society, Social-life, State administration, State economy, law and justice, internal security, welfare and external affairs
• Secularism and Fundamental Rights Constitutionalism, Total revolution, terrorism, Swadeshi, Satyagrah, Sarvodaya, Social Democracy, State Socialism, Affirmative Action, Social Justice Social Institutions: Family, Marriage, property, philosophy and religion Colonialism
• Kamandaki: Social order and State elements, etc.

Check Out: Last Moment Preparation Strategy

Unit 8: Social and Political Philosophy: Western

• Plato: Ideal State and Justice
• Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau: Social Contract Theory
• Isaiah Berlin: Conceptions of Liberty
• Bernard Williams: Idea of Equality
• Liberalism: Rawls; Distributive justice, Nozick; Justice as Entitlement, Dworkin; 
• Justice as equality; Amartya Sen: Global Justice, Freedom and Capability.
• Marxism: Dialectical Materialism, Alienation, Critique of Capitalism, Doctrine of Class Struggle and Classless Society.
• Communitarianism: Communitarian critique of liberal self, Universalism Vs. Particularism,
• Theory of Charles Taylor, MacIntyre, Michael Sandel
• Multiculturalism: Charles Taylor; Politics of recognition, Will Kymlicka; conception of Minority Rights
• Feminism: Basic Concepts: Patriarchy, misogyny, Gender, Theories of Feminism; Liberal, Socialist, radical and eco-feminism.

Unit 9: Logic

• Truth and Validity
• Denotation and Connotation
• Nature of Propositions
• Categorical Syllogism
• Square of Opposition 
• Truth-Functions and Propositional Logic 
• Quantification and Rules of Quantification Symbolic Logic
• Use of symbols Decision Procedures: Truth Table, Using Truth- Tables for testing the validity of arguments 
• Venn Diagram, informal and formal Fallacies
• Laws of thought
• Classification of Propositions, etc.

Unit 10: Applied Philosophy

• What is applied Philosophy?
• Ethical Implication of information technology, biotechnology, non-technology Environmental Ethics: Nature as means or end, Aldo-Leopold; land-ethics, Arne Naess: Deep Ecology, Peter Singer; Animal Rights Medical-Ethics: Surrogacy, Doctor-patient relationship, abortion, euthanasia, female-infanticide Professional Ethics: Corporate Governance and ethical responsibility
• Philosophy of Technology; technology, dominance, power and social inequalities Democratization of Technology
• Public evaluation of science and technology, etc

Want expert guidance on how to cover this vast syllabus effectively?

Enrol in our UGC NET Philosophy Coaching – structured preparation, mock tests & study plans included.

Despite the vastness of the syllabus for the UGC NET Philosophy exam, a planned approach to the preparation can be helpful.

UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus PDF Download (Paper II)

Candidates can download the UGC NET Philosophy syllabus Paper II PDF from the links provided at the end of this article. Simply click on the download icon and the syllabus will appear on the screen. Candidates can download the Philosophy syllabus PDF and use it for preparation.

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Also Read: UGC NET Paper 1 Syllabus & Preparation Tips

Best Guide Books for the UGC NET Philosophy exam

Here is the list of UGC NET philosophy books. Candidates who are appearing for the exam can go through these UGC NET Philosophy books for better clarity in the subject matter. 

• NTA UGC (NET/JRF/SET) Â Philosophy by Arihant Experts
• UGC-NET (Paper-II) Philosophy Exam Guide by Divya Prakash Pathak & RPH Editorial Board
• A History Of Philosophy by Frank Thilly
• An Introduction to Indian Philosophy by Satishchandra Chatterjee
• A Companion to Philosophy
• The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy

Preparation Tips to Cover NET Philosophy Syllabus

The UGC NET Philosophy paper might appear to be difficult for innumerable aspirants. Here are a few tips to ace the exam with the right preparation:

1. Candidates must take mock tests regularly and work on their weak areas.
2. They must know about the syllabus clearly, and subsequently prepare topic-wise notes for the important topics.
3. Refer to textbooks and related guides besides other reliable reference books that provide a comprehensible and in-depth understanding of various topics.
4. It is advisable to keep adequate time for revision while planning as the vastness of History requires revision more than a lot of the subjects. 
5. Study while taking reference from maps as it can help candidates to have a clear concept about locations.
6. Discuss their progress and study plans with fellow aspirants for guidance and support. 

We hope this article has given you an overview of the UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus. To know more do check out the website UGC NET Syllabus.

Stay in Touch & Get All the Exam Updates [NET Philosophy Whatsapp Group]

Candidates preparing for the UGC NET Philosophy exam should be well aware of any notifications released by the National Testing Agency (NTA). In our WhatsApp group, candidates will get every related update regarding UGC NET 2025. To join our UGC NET Philosophy WhatsApp group, please click on the image below.

Here are some important group links for UGC NET or SET candidates —

FAQs

What are the Important Topics in UGC NET Philosophy Syllabus?

Logic, Applied Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, and Western philosophy are the important units for the UGC NET Philosophy exam. But for the examination purpose, you need to put equal weightage to every section from the syllabus. 

Who is Eligible for the UGC NET Philosophy exam?

The candidates willing to take the UGC NET Philosophy exam must have completed their postgraduate degree course with 55% marks in Philosophy from a UGC-recognized college or university. 

Do questions get repeated in the UGC NET Exam?

In the UGC NET exam, the same questions do not always repeat, but the concepts can be. Therefore, during preparation, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the concepts.

Does UGC change the UGC NET Syllabus every year? 

No changes have been made to the UGC NET philosophy Syllabus since 2019. However, it is recommended to regularly check the official website of the NTA for any announcements regarding updates to the UGC NET 2024 philosophy syllabus.