Philosophy — UPSC Mains Optional PYQ (2023–2025)

(a) "Ideas are timeless and spaceless." Elucidate this statement with reference to Plato. [10M]

(b) "In the empirical world, everything is a compound of Matter and Form." Evaluate this statement with reference to Aristotle. [10M]

(c) Explain the difference between being-for-itself and being-in-itself as presented by Sartre. [10M]

(d) "The golden mountain is very high." Discuss this statement in the context of Russell's theory of descriptions. [10M]

(e) How does Hegel challenge Kant's distinction between Phenomena and Noumena? Discuss. [10M]

(a) “Corrupt practices reveal an inherent tension between particularistic and universalistic normative standards.” Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons and justification for your answer. [10M]

(b) How does gender as a social construct affect individuals’ opportunities, rights, and access to resources? Critically discuss. [10M]

(c) Is the idea of secularism necessarily related to the idea of religious pluralism? Discuss. [10M]

(d) Comment on Plato’s critique of Democracy. [10M]

(e) Discuss the salient features of equality according to J. S. Mill. [10M]

(a) Explain the ground on which Cārvāka rejects inference (anumāna) as a valid source of knowledge. [10M]

(b) Present an exposition of the debate between Naiyāyikas and Buddhists with reference to the notion of Pramāṇa and Pramāṇaphala. [10M]

(c) Delineate the main points of difference between the theory of intrinsic validation (svataḥ prāmāṇyavāda) and theory of extrinsic validation (parataḥ prāmāṇyavāda) in classical Indian philosophy. [10M]

(d) Examine Rāmānuja's seven objections against Māyāvāda of Advaita. [10M]

(e) Present an exposition of Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika's theory of causation. [10M]

(a) Discuss Cārvāka’s critique of the belief in the existence of suprasensible entities. [10M]

(b) Is religious language symbolic? Give reasons and justification in support of your answer. [10M]

(c) Present an account of Nietzsche’s criticism of religion and morality. [10M]

(d) Discuss the nature of embodied liberation (jīvanmukti) with reference to Advaita Vedānta. [10M]

(e) How does Aquinas’ account of Faith as “an intellectual assent” reconcile the juxtaposition between Reason and Faith? Discuss. [10M]

(a) Differentiate between Plato's and Aristotle's conceptions of form. [10M]

(b) How does Kant respond to Hume's scepticism with regard to a priori judgments? Discuss. [10M]

(c) What arguments are offered by Moore to prove that there are certain truisms, knowledge of which is a matter of common sense? Critically discuss. [10M]

(d) Why does later Wittgenstein think that there cannot be a language that only one person can speak — a language that is essentially private? Discuss. [10M]

(e) How does Kierkegaard define truth in terms of subjectivity? Critically discuss. [10M]

(a) Briefly discuss Plato’s concept of justice. [10M]

(b) Present a brief account of origin and development of Social Contract Theory. [10M]

(c) Discuss the main factors responsible for caste discrimination. [10M]

(d) Present an exposition of the concept of alienation as propounded by Marx. [10M]

(e) Compare socialism and communism as two distinct political ideologies. [10M]

(a) Do you think Cārvāka's philosophy is positivistic in nature? Give reasons and justifications for your answer. [10M]

(b) Explain the six reasons offered by the Naiyāyikas to prove the existence of the self. [10M]

(c) Do these two sentences “Air does not have heat” and “Air is not fire” refer to the same type of absence or abhāva, according to the Vaiśeṣikas? Discuss. [10M]

(d) How does Bhāṭṭa's view of nature of word-meaning and sentential-meaning differ from Prābhākara's view? Critically discuss. [10M]

(e) “In Viśiṣṭādvaita philosophy, the relationship between God and the world is parallel to that between an individual self and its body.” Critically discuss. [10M]

(a) Can there be a religion without morality? Discuss. [10M]

(b) Write a note on the notion of absolute truth in the context of religion. [10M]

(c) Discuss the concept of liberation (Apavarga) according to Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika. [10M]

(d) Discuss the role of reason in religion. [10M]

(e) Explain the analogical nature of religious language. [10M]

(a) How do I know that I know? Answer this question with reference to the Naiyāyikas, the Bhāṭṭa Mīmāṃsakas and the Prābhākaras. [20M]

(b) "A candidate who is never seen to be studying during the day time secures a high position in a competitive exam." How would the Bhāṭṭa Mīmāṃsakas and the Naiyāyikas explain the success of this candidate? Discuss. [15M]

(c) On what grounds do the Prābhākaras and the Naiyāyikas reject memory as a source of knowledge? Discuss. [15M]

(a) “Precepts without concepts are blind and concepts without precepts are empty.” In the light of this statement discuss how Kant reconciles rationalism with empiricism. [10M]

(b) “History is a process of dialectical change.” In the light of this statement discuss Hegel’s approach in understanding history. [10M]

(c) “That thing is said to be free which exists solely from the necessity of its own nature, and is determined to action by itself alone.” Discuss Spinoza’s views on freedom and determinism in the light of the above statement. [10M]

(d) How does Kierkegaard argue against Hegel’s idea of universal spirit in favour of the individual as the essence of spirit? Critically discuss. [10M]

(e) What are the main arguments offered by Kant to prove that apriori synthetic judgements are possible? Discuss with examples. [10M]

(a) What is meant by justice as fairness? Explain Rawls' theory of justice. [10M]

(b) Critically examine the anarchist's view that “all States always and everywhere are illegitimate and unjust.” [10M]

(c) Do you agree that the rights concerning land and property have empowered women? Discuss. [10M]

(d) Critically examine the challenges faced by a multicultural society with reference to India. [10M]

(e) If monarchs are above politics, can monarchy be a systematic form of government? Discuss. [10M]

(a) “All human knowledge is empirical and therefore relative.” Critically examine Jaina theory of sevenfold judgement (saptabhanginaya) in the light of above statement. [10M]

(b) “If Purusa and Prakrti are two completely independent realities, then no relation between the two is possible.” In the light of this statement make a brief presentation of Śaṅkara’s criticism of Sāṅkhya dualism. [10M]

(c) What is Advaitin interpretation of the great sentence (mahāvākya) ‘Thou art that’ (tat tvam asi)? Briefly discuss. [10M]

(d) Present an account of Vaiśeṣika’s view of negation in the light of their statement – “Negation always has a counter-positive and absolute negation is an impossibility.” [10M]

(e) Explain the nature and role of Supermind in evolution as per Aurobindo’s philosophy. [10M]

(a) Elucidate the personalistic and impersonalistic aspects of God. [10M]

(b) Can religious beliefs be justified? Discuss. [10M]

(c) Does religion influence the moral behaviour? Explain the interactive relation between religion and morality. [10M]

(d) Discuss Wittgenstein's view about the non-cognitive nature of religious language. [10M]

(e) What is Agnosticism? How do agnostics conceptualize the relation between religion and God? Discuss. [10M]