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Choosing between HSPS and Philosophy? (Cambridge)

Hi all.

I'm having a quandary choosing between these two Cambridge courses. I ruled out Oxford PPE having not taken Maths A level. I am a naturally philosophical person but with focus on ideas of political morality - interested in Hegel, Marx, Hayek etc.

My question is to anyone studying or hoping to study either of these courses - how philosophical can I makeHSPS and how political can I make Philosophy? I know I can take political philosophy modules each year in the latter, and I know with HSPS to focus on politics, psychology and sociology. I'm just unsure whether I would become bored with some aspects of either course ie. international relations, or philosophical logic.

Any advice welcome. Cheers
Original post by creamteapunk
Hi all.

I'm having a quandary choosing between these two Cambridge courses. I ruled out Oxford PPE having not taken Maths A level. I am a naturally philosophical person but with focus on ideas of political morality - interested in Hegel, Marx, Hayek etc.

My question is to anyone studying or hoping to study either of these courses - how philosophical can I makeHSPS and how political can I make Philosophy? I know I can take political philosophy modules each year in the latter, and I know with HSPS to focus on politics, psychology and sociology. I'm just unsure whether I would become bored with some aspects of either course ie. international relations, or philosophical logic.

Any advice welcome. Cheers


If your main interest is politics, and 'political morality' (I'm not really sure what you mean by that!), and your main concern is spending time studying things you aren't interested in - I would recommend HSPS.

I suspect most people taking HSPS do some papers in first year that they dislike. The girl on the 'askacambridgestudent' blog says so, and that it is part of the broad nature of the course. However, this is very different to Philosophy. If you are not interested in logic then you will be saddled with that for three years regardless because it is a very important aspect of the course. More importantly, the character of analytic philosophy matches up closely to formal logic in itself. Therefore, unless you are already familiar with analytic philosophy as a discipline, my suspicion is that you would not broadly find it very interesting: the kind of Philosophers you would read would categorically not be of the Marx/Hegel/Hayek variety (probably not even in political philosophy, though I'm less sure about that).

Perhaps I am misreading you here - sorry if I am - but I think it would be advisable for you to delve into some of the apolitical texts you would study as a Philosophy student, and see what you think. If you didn't like epistemology, for instance, I think you would have a very horrible time, and it is really not for everybody.

Good luck with your decision :smile:
Original post by creamteapunk
Hi all.

I'm having a quandary choosing between these two Cambridge courses. I ruled out Oxford PPE having not taken Maths A level. I am a naturally philosophical person but with focus on ideas of political morality - interested in Hegel, Marx, Hayek etc.

My question is to anyone studying or hoping to study either of these courses - how philosophical can I makeHSPS and how political can I make Philosophy? I know I can take political philosophy modules each year in the latter, and I know with HSPS to focus on politics, psychology and sociology. I'm just unsure whether I would become bored with some aspects of either course ie. international relations, or philosophical logic.

Any advice welcome. Cheers

What A-levels are you doing? Economics one of them?
Original post by vincrows
What A-levels are you doing? Economics one of them?


I am a post A-level applicant, and I took English Lit, Fine Art and Politics.
Original post by tomfailinghelp
If your main interest is politics, and 'political morality' (I'm not really sure what you mean by that!), and your main concern is spending time studying things you aren't interested in - I would recommend HSPS.

I suspect most people taking HSPS do some papers in first year that they dislike. The girl on the 'askacambridgestudent' blog says so, and that it is part of the broad nature of the course. However, this is very different to Philosophy. If you are not interested in logic then you will be saddled with that for three years regardless because it is a very important aspect of the course. More importantly, the character of analytic philosophy matches up closely to formal logic in itself. Therefore, unless you are already familiar with analytic philosophy as a discipline, my suspicion is that you would not broadly find it very interesting: the kind of Philosophers you would read would categorically not be of the Marx/Hegel/Hayek variety (probably not even in political philosophy, though I'm less sure about that).

Perhaps I am misreading you here - sorry if I am - but I think it would be advisable for you to delve into some of the apolitical texts you would study as a Philosophy student, and see what you think. If you didn't like epistemology, for instance, I think you would have a very horrible time, and it is really not for everybody.

Good luck with your decision :smile:


Thank you very much for your long answer! I have decided firmly on HSPS after meeting an old school friend who is currently studying it at Jesus. It looks amazing.
Original post by creamteapunk
I am a post A-level applicant, and I took English Lit, Fine Art and Politics.


.....and thinking or studying about people like Marx and Hayek without basic knowledge of Economics?
I have basic knowledge of economics, but I am more interested in the relationship between economics and history (historical materialism) and economics as an ideological justification. I would have been no good at economics A-level because I am uninterested in statistical analysis. Having said this, I don't find concepts such as public choice theory, the invisible hand or methodological individualism particularly difficult, and we were required an understanding of these for Politics. HSPS does not offer economics, so your suggestion that I would be 'studying' those philosophers is firstly wrong (I will have little choice apart from with the module on history of political thought) and unfair because I understand these philsophers well without a formally economic background. I actually feel economics would have been a hindrance, as I am not critiquing Marxism from its economic possibility, I am analysing it's political and social impact. (Human social and political sciences)...
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by creamteapunk
I have basic knowledge of economics, but I am more interested in the relationship between economics and history (historical materialism) and economics as an ideological justification. I would have been no good at economics A-level because I am uninterested in statistical analysis. Having said this, I don't find concepts such as public choice theory, the invisible hand or methodological individualism particularly difficult, and we were required an understanding of these for Politics. HSPS does not offer economics, so your suggestion that I would be 'studying' those philosophers is firstly wrong (I will have little choice apart from with the module on history of political thought) and unfair because I understand these philsophers well without a formally economic background. I actually feel economics would have been a hindrance, as I am not critiquing Marxism from it's economic possibility, I am analysing it's political and social impact. (Human social and political sciences)...


Interesting................................
Original post by vincrows
.....and thinking or studying about people like Marx and Hayek without basic knowledge of Economics?


To be fair, most economists one studies in a historical contexts (Marx, Hayek, even Keynes) do not really use a great deal of mathematics in their basic arguments. Hayek, for instance, regarded mathematics and other kinds of 'scientific' calculation as totally irrelevant to economics, and I suspect Marx would have had similar sentiments. For that reason I don't think anybody should be concerned that they aren't well versed in economics as it is currently taught in an academic setting, just because they are going to do classes on Hayek or Marx.

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