Philosophy

About this optional

Philosophy is one of the optional subjects of the Civil Services (Main) Examination. A candidate who chooses it writes two papers on it, and both are counted for merit.

• Both papers are of conventional (essay) type. Together they carry 500 of the 1750 marks of the written examination.
• The scope of the syllabus is broadly of honours degree level: higher than a bachelor's degree and lower than a master's degree.
• The question papers are set in Hindi and English. The candidate may answer in English or in any one language of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
• The optional papers are taken into account only if the candidate gets 25% in each of the qualifying papers, Indian Language and English.

The rules common to every optional are on the Optional Subject (two papers) page. Below is the complete official syllabus of both papers, as the notice gives it.

Paper I

History and Problems of Philosophy

1. Plato and Aristotle: Ideas; Substance; Form and Matter; Causation; Actuality and Potentiality.
2. Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz); Cartesian Method and Certain Knowledge; Substance; God; Mind-Body Dualism; Determinism and Freedom.
3. Empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume): Theory of Knowledge; Substance and Qualities; Self and God; Scepticism.
4. Kant: Possibility of Synthetic a priori Judgments; Space and Time; Categories; Ideas of Reason; Antinomies; Critique of Proofs for the Existence of God.
5. Hegel: Dialectical Method; Absolute Idealism.
6. Moore, Russell and Early Wittgenstein: Defence of Commonsense; Refutation of Idealism; Logical Atomism; Logical Constructions; Incomplete Symbols; Picture Theory of Meaning; Sying and Showing.
7. Logical Positivism: Verification Theory of Meaning; Rejection of Metaphysics; Linguistic Theory of Necessary Propositions.
8. Later Wittgenstein: Meaning and Use; Language-games; Critique of Private Language.
9. Phenomenology (Husserl): Method; Theory of Essences; Avoidance of Psychologism.
10. Existentialism (Kierkegaard, Sarte, Heidegger): Existence and Essence; Choice, Responsibility and Authentic Existence; Being-in-the-world and Temporality.
11. Quine and Strawson: Critique of Empiricism; Theory of Basic Particulars and Persons.
12. Carvaka: Theory of Knowlegde; Rejection of Transcendent Entities.
13. Jainism: Theory of Reality; Saptabhanginaya; Bondage and Liberation.
14. Schools of Buddhism: Pratityasamutpada; Ksanikavada, Nairatmyavada.
15. Nyaya—Vaiesesika: Theory of Categories; Theory of Appearance; Theory of Pramana; Self, Liberation; God; Proofs for the Existence of God; Theory of Causation; Atomistic Theory of Creation.
16. Samkhya; Prakrit; Purusa; Causation; Liberation.
17. Yoga; Citta; Cittavrtti; Klesas; Samadhi; Kaivalya.
18. Mimamsa: Theory of Knowlegde.
19. Schools of Vedanta: Brahman; Isvara; Atman; Jiva; Jagat; Maya; Avida; Adhyasa; Moksa; Aprthaksiddhi; Pancavidhabheda.
20. Aurobindo: Evolution, Involution; Integral Yoga.

Paper II

Socio-Political Philosophy

1. Social and Political Ideals: Equality, Justice, Liberty.
2. Sovereignty: Austin, Bodin, Laski, Kautilya.
3. Individual and State: Rights; Duties and Accountability.
4. Forms of Government: Monarchy; Theocracy and Democracy.
5. Political Ideologies: Anarchism; Marxism and Socialism.
6. Humanism; Secularism; Multi-culturalism.
7. Crime and Punishment: Corruption, Mass Violence, Genocide, Capital Punishment.
8. Development and Social Progress.
9. Gender Discrimination: Female Foeticide, Land and Property Rights; Empowerment.
10. Caste Discrimination: Gandhi and Ambedkar.

Philosophy of Religion

1. Notions of God: Attributes; Relation to Man and the World. (Indian and Western).
2. Proofs for the Existence of God and their Critique (Indian and Western).
3. Problem of Evil.
4. Soul: Immortality; Rebirth and Liberation.
5. Reason, Revelation and Faith.
6. Religious Experience: Nature and Object (Indian and Western).
7. Religion without God.
8. Religion and Morality.
9. Religious Pluralism and the Problem of Absolute Truth.
10. Nature of Religious Language: Analogical and Symbolic; Cognitivist and Non-cognitive.

Overlaps with General Studies

• General Studies IV is the closest. Its topic on the contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world can draw on many of the same thinkers (Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, the existentialists, the Indian schools, Gandhi, Ambedkar and Aurobindo), and its parts on the philosophical basis of governance, probity, accountability and corruption meet Paper II's socio-political topics.
• General Studies I shares secularism, communalism and social empowerment, the role of women, and political philosophies such as socialism and communism in world history. Buddhism, Jainism and the other Indian schools also give background for the History of India part of Prelims General Studies Paper I.
• General Studies II overlaps through the rights and duties in the Constitution's significant provisions, the comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries (forms of government), and the mechanisms, laws and institutions for the protection and betterment of vulnerable sections, including women and the castes that face discrimination.
• The Essay paper can draw on the ideas this subject trains you to argue about: justice, liberty, equality, development, religion and morality.

Source: UPSC Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE, Civil Services Examination, 2026, 4 February 2026, Appendix I, Section III, Part B, PDF. Last checked 11 November 2026.