IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains 2021 Preparation Strategy for Philosophy Optional

Among the non-technical subjects, Philosophy is one of 25 subjects offered by UPSC. It has the shortest syllabus in comparison to other non-technical subjects in IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains. The syllabus of Philosophy is declared by the conducting body. Check the UPSC philosophy optional syllabus here.

Paper I deals with Indian Philosophy and Western Philosophy and Paper II has 2 sections dealing with Philosophy of religion and Socio-political philosophy. In paper-I, candidates will face 5 out of 8 questions, and in paper-II, there will be 1 question asked from each topic.

In the following article, the topic-wise weightage, previous years’ papers, and booklist as per the topics is discussed.

Topic-wise Weightage of IAS (UPSC CSE) Philosophy Optional

Before starting your preparation, topic-wise analysis is important. It will give you a rough idea about the important topics and the weightage of each topic in IAS philosophy optional. This will help you to plan the timetable and make predictions of probable questions.

Topic-wise analysis of Philosophy Optional Paper-I

For better understanding, the philosophy optional paper-I is divided into two parts: Indian Philosophy and contemporary western philosophy.

Indian Philosophy

In the following table, there is a detailed marks division of important topics that have been faced from the Indian Philosophy section.

Contemporary Western Philosophy

In the following table, there is a detailed marks division of important topics which has been faced from Contemporary Western Philosophy.

Topic-wise Analysis of Philosophy Optional Paper-II

For better understanding, philosophy optional paper II is divided into two parts: Socio-Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion.

Philosophy Paper-II: Socio-Political Philosophy

In the following table, there is a detailed marks division of important topics which has been faced from Socio-Political Philosophy.

Philosophy Paper-II: Philosophy of Religion

In the following table, there is a detailed marks division of important topics which has been faced from the Philosophy of Religion:

Study Material for IAS (UPSC CSE) Philosophy Optional

Candidates can check the table below where the booklist is provided categorized as per the sections of UPSC Philosophy optional syllabus:

Recommended Books for Problems of Philosophy

• A History of Philosophy - Frank Thilly
• Survey of Indian Philosophy - C D Sharma
• Indian Philosophy, A Counter Perspective - Dr. Daya Krishna
• Indian Philosophy II Volume - Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
• Indian Philosophy - Dr. Deo Raj
• The voyage of Discovery - Dr. William F. Lawhead
• Introduction to Indian Philosophy - Dr. Dutta

Recommended Books for Existentialism

• Existentialism: A Reconstruction - David Cooper
• A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy - C Sharma

Recommended Books for Western Philosophy

• A History of Philosophy - Frank Thilly
• A Critical History of Western Philosophy - Y Masih
• Contemporary Western Philosophy - Dr. B.K. Lal
• Western Philosophy - Dr. Y.Masiaha

Recommended Books for Social-Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion

• An Introduction to Political Theory - O P Gauba
• Introduction to Religious Philosophy - Y Masih
• Philosophy of Religion - John H. Hick
• Introduction to Indian Philosophy - Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

Preparation Strategy for IAS (UPSC CSE) Philosophy Paper-I

In Paper-I, candidates have to answer 5 questions out of 8 questions. The compulsory questions are generally asked from the epistemology of Indian philosophy. Here are the preparation tips for both Indian philosophy and Western Philosophy:

Preparation Strategy for Indian Philosophy Section

The commonly asked questions are from Refutation of inference, Pratitya Samutpada, and Khan Bhangvada, Shunyavada, and Vigyanvada, Purush Prakriti, and Theory of Evolution categories and atomism from Vaisheshika, Qualified non-dualism and refutation of Mayaism from Ramanuja, etc.

• ‘A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy’ by CD Sharma is preferable to study the Indian Philosophy section. An Introduction to Indian Philosophy’ by Datta and Chatterjee can also be used as reference material.
• President Dr. S Radhakrishnan’s two volumes on Indian Philosophy is also helpful to study in-depth.
• While writing the answers on Indian philosophy, the Sanskrit terms in philosophy can be used to enrich the answer writing.
• Candidates can make an effort to relate Indian philosophical concepts with western thoughts to write answers.

Preparation Tips for Western Philosophy

The commonly asked questions are from the theories of Plato, substance, and form of Aristotle, Descartes, substance or pantheism of Spinoza, monadology of Leibnitz, Berkeley, Scepticism of Hume, Kant, Hegel, Bradley, Radical empiricism of James, the idealism of Moore, Russel, etc. Here are some tips to follow:

• For The Contemporary Western Philosophy section ‘A Critical History of Western Philosophy’ by Y Masih or ‘A History of Philosophy’ by Frank Thilly is best to start your preparation with.
• ‘Introduction to Western Philosophy’ by Donald Palmer is good to develop the understanding of the subject and several philosophers.
• Western philosophy is considered to be the most crucial part of Paper-I. Therefore, a deep understanding of the thinkers is very important.

Preparation Strategy for IAS (UPSC CSE) Philosophy Paper-II

Paper-II is divided into two sections as Socio-Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion. Here are the preparation tips for both sections:

• In the philosophy of religion, there are only 7 topics in the whole syllabus and always 1 question from each topic.
• On the other hand, there are 11 topics given in the syllabus of Socio-political philosophy.
• Some topics are invariably asked like Sarvodaya, Gandhism, comparison between Marxism and Gandhism and short notes are always on political ideals (equality, liberty, sovereignty, and justice).
• For the Socio-Political Philosophy section, ‘Social and Political Philosophy’ by OP Gauba is a good book to start your preparation with.
• For the Philosophy of Religion, you can refer to ‘Introduction to Religious Philosophy’ by Y Masih or ‘Philosophy of Religion’ by John Hick.

Previous Years’ Questions Papers of IAS (UPSC CSE) Philosophy Optional

In the following chart, some links are provided through which previous years’ question papers of 2020 to 2014 can easily be downloaded and take a print out if needed.

Must Read: Mistakes to avoid in IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam

Though the optional has a defined and short syllabus, it is stuffed with technical terms, and it requires an in-depth understanding, as well as the ability to connect one concept with another.

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