The Leiden Institute for Philosophy has a unique profile in the Netherlands and is one of few of its kind worldwide. In addition to the systematic and historically informed philosophy typical of European and Anglo-American programmes, the Leiden programme includes philosophies from Africa, India, East Asia and the Arab world. It combines conceptual analysis with hermeneutics and phenomenology, and historical contextualisation with cross-cultural comparison.

Areas of philosophical focus

The Institute for Philosophy offers a broad range of options for studying philosophy at both the Bachelor's and Master's level. Within these programmes, students can specialise in areas such as moral and political philosophy, philosophy of law, philosophy of the arts, and intercultural and comparative traditions. These areas reflect the research strengths of our teaching staff and are deeply integrated into the structure of our degree programmes. Courses are designed to encourage both historical understanding and conceptual clarity.

How philosophy is taught at the Leiden Institute

Philosophy at Leiden is taught in small-scale seminars that foster close interaction between students and staff. From the very beginning, students are trained to read and interpret philosophical texts carefully, think critically, and develop their own research questions.

Courses are taught by active researchers who bring their own specialisations into the classroom. This ensures that students engage directly with current debates and recent developments in the field. Supervision is personal and intensive, particularly at the Master’s level.

Philosophical diversity and global perspective

The Institute’s programmes are shaped by a strong commitment to philosophical diversity. In addition to covering central authors and traditions in Western philosophy, students engage with philosophical texts and questions from South and East Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These non-Western perspectives are not treated as optional additions, but form an integral part of the curriculum, methodology and research culture.

This global and comparative approach distinguishes Leiden’s philosophy programmes from most others in Europe and contributes to the Institute’s international reputation.

Find out more

Each degree programme has its own page with detailed information about admission, specialisations, and course content. You can explore these via the sidebar on this page or visit the Leiden University education portal for a full overview of our programmes in the Faculty of Humanities.