PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMICS

(Redirected from Philosophy, Politics and Economics)

'Philosophy, Politics and Economics' (often abbreviated to 'PPE' but known as 'social studies' at Harvard) is a popular interdisciplinary degree which combines study from the three disciplines. It used to be most strongly associated with the University of Oxford – the institution that first offered the degree – but is increasingly being offered at universities elsewhere in the United Kingdom and around the world including Canada, Israel, New Zealand, and the United States.

Contents

Notable people with PPE degrees from Oxford

History

Course material

See also

Notable people with PPE degrees from Oxford

PPE has traditionally been a programme pursued by those seeking a career in politics or public life – with quite a few subsequently achieving it. Oxford's famous PPE graduates include:

★ Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician

★ Ed Balls, British politician

★ Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan

★ Stephen Breyer, US Supreme Court Justice

★ David Cameron, British politician and leader of the Conservative Party

★ Wesley Clark, US Army General

★ Pete Dawkins, former Heisman trophy winner

★ Sir Michael Dummett, philosopher

★ Atul Gawande, American surgeon and writer

★ William Hague, British politician and former leader of the Conservative Party

★ Edward Heath, former British Prime Minister

★ Christopher Hitchens, British author and broadcaster

★ Ruth Kelly, British politician

★ Imran Khan, Pakistani cricketer and politician

★ David Kirk, former All Blacks captain

★ Peter Mandelson, British politician and EU Commissioner

★ David Miliband, British politician

★ Rupert Murdoch, Australian-American media mogul

★ Nick Robinson, BBC political correspondent

★ Jacqui Smith, British politician

★ Ann Widdecombe, British politician

★ Harold Wilson, former British Prime Minister

History

PPE was established in Oxford in 1920 as a modern alternative to Classics (known as Greats) because it was thought that a course in Philosophy and Ancient History was no longer relevant for those entering the civil service. It was thus initially known as 'Modern Greats'. It was also the first opportunity for students to study philosophy at Oxford without having to learn Ancient Greek or Latin and hence sparked a huge growth in the number of students studying philosophy at Oxford. The University of York was the first university to introduce a one-year PPE postgraduate programme (MA PPE).

Course material

The design of the programme emanates from the view that to understand social phenomena one must approach them from several complementary disciplinary directions and analytical frameworks. In this regard, the study of 'philosophy' is considered important because it both equips students with meta-tools such as the ability to reason rigorously and logically, and facilitates ethical reflection. The study of 'politics' is considered necessary because it acquaints students with the authoritative structures that govern society and help solve collective action problems. Moreover, the study of political science is thought to put students in a position to evaluate the choices political systems and regimes regularly make. Finally, studying 'economics' is seen as vital in the modern world because political decisions often concern economic matters, and government decisions are often influenced by economic events. Additionally, the analytical framework of economics (the rational actor model) is an important approach to studying social phenomena and, as such, students ought to be familiar with it.

See also

★ Greats degree course

★ Interdisciplinarity