All CSS subjects
CSS written syllabus
CSS Philosophy Syllabus
Philosophy is a 100-mark Group VI optional subject in the CSS written exam, examined in one three-hour paper. Below is FPSC's official syllabus, word for word: every section, topics and suggested readings.
- Marks
- 100
- Papers
- 1
- Time
- 3 hours a paper
- Group
- Group VI
- Subject code
- 44
The paper
100 marks- I.Introduction: Definition, Nature and Scope of Philosophy
- II.Philosophical Methods: Socratic Method (Socrates); Inductive Method (Bacon, Mill); Deductive Method (Aristotle, Descartes); Dialectical Method (Hegel); Fallibilistic Method (Popper)
- III.Epistemology: Rationalism (Plato, Descartes, Spinoza); Empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume); Transcendentalism (Kant); Intuitionism (Bergson)
- IV.Ontology: Idealism (Plato, Berkeley); Representative Realism (Locke); Historical and Dialectical Materialism (Marx)
- V.Ethics:
- What is morality? The challenge of cultural relativism
- Does morality depend on religion? Psychological and ethical egoism: Virtue Ethics (Aristotle)
- Moral Absolutism (Kant)
- Utilitarianism (J.S. Mill)
- Social Contract Theory (Hobbes, Rawls)
- VI.Muslim Thinkers: Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushid, Ibn Khaldun, Shah Waliullah, Muhammad Iqbal.
- VII.Contemporary Philosophical Movements: Existentialism (Heidegger, Sartre); Pragmatism (Peirce, James, Dewey); Neo-pragmatism (Rorty); Postmodernism (Lyotard, Foucault, Derrida)
Suggested readings
- 1.A History of Western PhilosophyBertrand Russell
- 2.Philosophy: The Power of IdeasBrooke Noel Moore & Kenneth Bruder
- 3.Elements of Moral PhilosophyJames Rachels
- 4.Existentialism & Human EmotionsJean Paul Sartre
- 5.The Postmodern Condition: A Report on KnowledgeJean-Francois Lyotard
- 6.Descartes to Derrida: An Introduction to European PhilosophyPeter Sedgwick
- 7.Continental Philosophy in the 20th CenturyRichard Kearney
- 8.A Short History of Modern PhilosophyRoger Scruton
- 9.A History of Muslim Philosophy. Volume I & IIM. M. Sharif
- 10.A History of Islamic PhilosophyMajid Fakhry
- 11.The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in IslamMuhammad Iqbal
- 12.IqbalMustansir Mir
- 13.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (plato.stanford.edu).Internet Resources
- 14.Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (www.iep.utm.edu).Internet Resources
Past papers
FPSC's Philosophy papers from 2016 to 2026, as text. Open a year, or see them all.