Institute of Philosophy

The Institute of Philosophy consists of four philosophy departments and the ELTE-NYTK Centre for Theoretical Linguistics, the activities of which are based on the cooperation between our institute and the Research Centre for Linguistics (NYTK - part of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network, formerly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences). The research group Autonomous Vehicles, Automation, Normativity: Logical and Ethical Issues, financed by a grant of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, has been operating within our institute since 2018. The Philosophy PhD programs offered by the Doctoral School of Philosophy, Eötvös Loránd University, largely rely on the contribution of faculty members affiliated with the Institute of Philosophy.

The Institute of Philosophy is well-integrated into the international scholarly community. International workshops and conferences, as well as guest lectures regularly take place in our Institute.

Bridging analytic and continental approaches

We value a diversity of approaches to philosophical research, and our course offerings reflect this diversity. Whether you wish to learn and pursue research in analytic, more traditionally Anglo-American methodologies or in originally more Continental methods or approaches, or in topics and methods at their crossroads, our Institute offers cutting edge expertise in contemporary philosophy. Analytic philosophy, phenomenology or existentialism, for instance, can equally be studied here in various undergraduate and graduate programs.

Combining historical reflection with analytic rigor

Our Institute combines exceptional research strengths in the history of philosophy - from ancient to early modern to 20th century philosophy - with research and training in contemporary philosophical disciplines and methods. We are a unique community of inquiry where research in contemporary philosophical disciplines can benefit from historical awareness, and the study of the history of philosophy can benefit from the latest conceptual developments.

From foundational research to applied inquiry

Our Institute hosts courses and research projects on foundational issues in epistemology, ethics, hermeneutics, metaphysics, phenomenology, philosophy of language and mind or political philosophy - while we are just as commited to the pursuit of applied philosophical challanges raised by emerging technologies, gender relations, or ethical issues in democratic politics, among other topics. We believe in a fruitful interaction between foundational research as well as applied research driven by and guiding technological and social innovation.

Two decades of experience in international education

Our MA and PhD programs in philosophy are available both in Hungarian and in English. We have received many Erasmus students from various European countries over the past 15 years. While we offer philosophy and ethics degree programs on the BA level in Hungarian, these programs also offer several English language courses, attracting students from all over Europe as well as from as diverse places as the Middle East, Central Asia or China. More recently, many students from countries outside Europe have been studying in our programs with Stipendium Hungaricum or through other channels. Our English-language Logic and theory of science MA program was established in 2010. The English-language Philosophy MA program was accredited in 2020. Our faculty members participate in the English-language PhD programs available in the Doctoral School of Philosophy.

The dual backbone of our degree programs in philosophy

The backbone of our philosophy programs (liberal arts BA with specialization in philosophy, and MA in philosophy) is constituted by two clusters of courses. We offer courses in the history of philosophy from the beginnings up to the present. Another cluster of courses is devoted to a variety of philosophical topics within logic, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, ethics, political philosophy, and other fields. Our students have the opportunity to select both historical and problem-centered courses depending on their research interests. In addition to traditional philosophical problems, we offer courses on recent developments in science and in society, such as artificial intelligence, automation or debates over gender gender roles.

Programs in theoretical linguistics

The ELTE-NYTK Centre for Theoretical Linguistics offers programs in theoretical linguistics on all three levels. The BA program is a specialization in theoretical linguistics within the liberal arts BA program and there is an independent MA program in theoretical linguistics. The PhD program in theoretical linguistics, which can also be completed in English, is part of the Doctoral School of Linguistics.

Contact information

Address: Institute of Philosophy, Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, 1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/I
Phone: +36 1 411 6500/5216; 485 5237
E-mail: filint@btk.elte.hu
Homepage (in Hungarian): //philosophy.elte.hu/institute/
Facebook (in Hungarian): https://hu-hu.facebook.com/ELTEBTKFilIn

Department of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

The research topics pursued at the Department of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy include Plato, Aristotle and the Peripatetic tradition, Stoicism, Neoplatonism, and philosophy and theology in the Middle Ages. The courses offered by the Department - apart from the ones on Philosophy of religion - cover the history of philosophy from the beginnings to the early modern period:

• Presocratics to Plato
• Aristotle and the Hellenistic schools
• Philosophy in the post-Hellenistic period and in late antiquity
• Medieval philosophy

In addition to the core lectures and seminars just mentioned, we offer, from time to time, various special courses on ancient metaphysics, ancient ethics, ancient science, and Medieval philosophy of mind, to name just a few examples. Our courses do not presuppose knowledge of Greek or Latin, but advanced students may rely on the guidance of our professors in this respect. The Department has been involved in the Ancient and medieval philosophy doctoral program within the Doctoral School of Philosophy since 1995.

Contact information

Address: Department of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy, Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, H-1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/I
Phone: +36 1 411 6500/5216 or 5497
E-mail: bene.laszlo@btk.elte.hu

Department of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy

The Department of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy offers courses on a wide range of topics from the Early Modern period up to the present both on undergraduate and on graduate level. The topics discussed in lecture courses as well as seminars include:

• Renaissance and early modern philosophy
• German Idealism and after
• 20th century continental philosophy
• Contemporary philosophy

The Department co-operates with several programs of the Doctoral School of Philosophy (Modern philosophy, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Ethics and political philosophy).

Contact information

Address: Department of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy, Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, H-1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/I
Phone: +36 1 411 6500/5216 or 5200
E-mail: olay.csaba@btk.elte.hu

Department of Logic

The Department of Logic at Eötvös University began its existence in the 1970s as a group of philosophy faculty members working in the field of symbolic logic and methodology of science. The founder and central figure of the group was one of the leading Hungarian logicians, Professor Imre Ruzsa. As a separate unit, the Department was established in 1982.

The Department of Logic offers courses for both undergraduate and graduate teaching programs of the Institute of Philosophy, with a particular focus on the Logic and Philosophy of Science MA and PhD programs. The Department aims to bring together faculty and students interested in a wide range of topics including:

• Logic
• Philosophy of Mathematics
• History of Logic and Mathematics
• Philosophy of Physics
• General Philosophy of Science
• Analytical Metaphysics
• Epistemology
• Philosophy of Language
• Formal Semantics
  

The Department of Logic enjoys strong cooperative relations with the other philosophy departments of the university and with several science departments, including mathematics, physics, and theoretical linguistics. It also has strong connections with the Set Theory, Logic and Topology Group of Rényi Institute of Mathematics.

The Department organizes and hosts the weekly Logic and Philosophy of Science Seminar (LPS).

Contact information

Address: Department of Logic, Institute of Philosophy, Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, H-1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/I
Phone/fax: +36 1 485 5237
E-mail: logic@phil.elte.hu
Homepage (in English): //philosophy.elte.hu/logic

Department of General Philosophy

The Department of General Philosophy offers courses for both undergraduate and graduate teaching programs of the Institute of Philosophy as well as for the PhD programs of the Doctoral School of Philosophy, focusing both on practical and theoretical philosophy. The Department brings together faculty and students interested in a wide range of topics including:

• Ethics
• Political Philosophy
• Philosophy of Social Sciences
• Philosophy of History
• Metaphysics
• Epistemology
• Philosophy of Mind
• Philosophy of Religion
• History of Analytic Philosophy
  

The Department of General Philosophy cooperates with the other philosophy departments of the university. The members of the Deparment are engaged in a wide variety of research projects, ranging from current issues in social philosophy and ethics, including applied ethics, to analytic metaphysics and philosophy of mind, as well as philosophy of religion and the history of analytic philosophy.

Contact information

Address: Department of General Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy, Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities,
H-1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/I
Phone: +36 1 411 6500/5216 or 5442
E-mail: ambrus.gergely@btk.elte.hu

ELTE-NYTK Centre for Theoretical Linguistics

The ELTE-NYTK Centre for Theoretical Linguistics has been responsible for teaching theoretical linguistics at the BA, MA and doctoral levels at ELTE for 30 years. Our work depends on the professional and financial support of the Research Centre for Linguistics (www.nytud.hu): all members of the core teaching staff are active or emeritus researchers at the research centre, which also provides the venue for teaching. Students of theoretical linguistics are thus given ample opportunity to get acquainted with and participate in current research activities in various fields of linguistics, by attending talks and conferences, or getting involved in research projects as research assistants or active members (depending on their qualifications).

Our aim is to train professionals who are familiar with the general principles underlying the structure of human languages as well as theories and methodologies used for the description and explanation of the structure of particular natural languages, and can apply them creatively. The basic disciplines of linguistics are in the focus of training: phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. This is complemented by the study of interface phenomena and adjoining academic fields, such as sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics or neurolinguistics, in order to enable our graduates to perform a wide range of l inguistics-related tasks after graduation.

Research seminars are an important part of the training at all levels, where lecturers, senior and postgraduate students discuss research findings and pursue joint research.

The core teaching staff includes specialists of all the major fields of modern linguistics.

Contact information

Address: ELTE-NYTK Centre for Theoretical Linguistics, Research Centre for Linguistics,
H-1068 Budapest, Benczúr u. 33.
Phone: +36 1 342-9372/6016
E-mail: gardai.kinga@btk.elte.hu
Homepage: //www.nytud.hu/szakcsoport/
Facebook (in Hungarian): https://www.facebook.com/elmeletinyelveszet

Autonomous Vehicles, Automation, Normativity: Logical and Ethical Issues

Research group financed by the Thematic Excellence Programme 2020 of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office. Principal investigator: Zsófia Zvolenszky

The interdisciplinary inquiry entitled "Autonomous Vehicles, Automation, Normativity: Logical and Ethical Issues", launched at the Institute of Philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities of ELTE in late 2018, focuses on normative issues - such as responsibility, duty, obligation, rules, meta-rules, moral and legal expectations - concerning automated technologies like autonomous vehicles. Beyond moral philosophy, philosophy of mind, deontic logic, philosophy of language, considerations from psychology, anthropology, sociology, law allow for developing a more accurate, nuanced picture of the ethical dimensions of automation.

Doctoral School of Philosophy

The Doctoral School of Philosophy, which involves faculty members from various institutes across the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös University (Institute of Philosophy, Institute of Theory of Art and Media Studies, Institute of Art History, Institute of Ancient and Classical Studies, Institute of East Asian Studies), offers doctoral studies in the following fields:

• Aesthetics
• Analytic Philosophy
• Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
• Art History
• Ethics and Political Philosophy
• Film, Media and Culture Theory
• Hermeneutics
• Intercultural Philosophy
• Logic and Philosophy of Science
• Phenomenology
• Religious Studies
  

For further information, see https://www.elte.hu/en/doctoral-school-of-philosophy.