UPSC Philosophy 2025

Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : 10×5=50 (a) "Ideas are timeless and spaceless." Elucidate this statement with reference to Plato. 10 (b) "In the empirical…

(a) What are the basic tenets of Rationalism ? How does Descartes build a system of Philosophy in consonance with them ? Discuss. 20 (b) "All determination is negation." Comment w…

(a) "We should look not to an ideal language which derives its meaning from facts and has a precise logical structure but empirically, to the ways in which languages are actually…

(a) How is Husserl's account of "I think" different from that of Descartes ? Critically discuss. 20 (b) "We can affirm the truth of any sentence in our total system, in the face o…

Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : 10×5=50 (a) Explain the ground on which Cārvāka rejects inference (anumāna) as a valid source of knowledge. 10 (b) Present…

(a) Present a detailed account of Gautama's definition of Perception. 20 (b) How is Brahman conceptualised in Advaita philosophy as both Nimitta and Upādāna Kāraṇa of the World ?…

(a) Why does Śaṃkara consider Sāṃkhya Philosophy as his chief opponent (pradhāna malla) ? Examine his arguments against Sāṃkhya Philosophy. 20 (b) Explain the nature of God and it…

(a) Discuss the idea of Bimba-pratibimbavāda as presented in Vedanta philosophy along with its soteriological significance. 20 (b) 'Both Ascetic and materialist are partial in the…

Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: (a) "Corrupt practices reveal an inherent tension between particularistic and universalistic normative standards." Do you a…

(a) Present a detailed account of the debate between Gandhi and Ambedkar on the issue of caste discrimination. (20 marks) (b) Evaluate Marxism as a Political Ideology. (15 marks)…

(a) Can one's right to life be absolute ? Answer with reference to the idea of Capital Punishment. (20 marks) (b) How does the reconciliation of opposites take place in the Humani…

(a) How are both equality and liberty inadequate as social and political ideals without justice ? Discuss. (20 marks) (b) Can Theocracy be accepted as a valid form of Government ?…

Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: (a) Discuss Cārvāka's critique of the belief in the existence of suprasensible entities. (10 marks) (b) Is religious langua…

(a) Present an account of Design argument to prove the existence of God along with its criticism by David Hume. (20 marks) (b) Explain the main tenets of the Process Theodicy as a…

(a) How does the Vedantic view of Religious Pluralism address the conflicting truth claims of different faiths ? Answer with reference to Swami Vivekananda's view of Universal Rel…

(a) Evaluate the nature and object of Religious Experience as explained by Radhakrishnan in 'The Hindu View of Life'. (20 marks) (b) Is it necessary for the normative principles t…