Philosophy Tutor

Private Philosophy Tutor

I'm a private philosophy tutor to university, college and school students worldwide.

As an approved private tutor for the University of London's External System's Philosophy Programme, I provide tutorial support for students studying at home for their online philosophy degree.

I'm also an experienced online and face-to-face, part-time philosophy tutor at the University of Oxford, where I took my doctorate; so my private online philosophy tuition keeps continually abreast of the latest developments in philosophy learning and teaching excellence.

I provide tutorial support for students with their Critical Thinking and Logic courses.

I advice students on their university applications, and tutor applicants for university philosophy entrance exams, including oxbridge entrance.

Finally, I am an International Baccalaureate (IB) Theory of Knowledge (ToK) Philosophy Tutor and an external examiner for the IB Diploma philosophy special subject area.

If you require a private philosophy tutor, I'd be happy to receive your email:

Philosophy Tutor for the University of London's External Philosophy BA, Diploma and Certificate

The University of London, via its External System Philosophy Programme, offers a BA, Diploma and Certificate by distance learning to students worldwide.

Although the programme provides books and study guides, it offers no formal tuition itself; students must make their own teaching arrangements.

I am a recognised philosophy tutor for the programme and have considerable experience of preparing students for their online Philosophy BA, Diploma and Certificate.

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If you would like a philosophy tutor to help you with your University of London External Program philosophy studies, then I'd be happy to receive your email:

Critical Thinking Tuition

Critical thinking is a central skill of analytical philosophy.

I am a tutor in formal logic, philosophical logic and epistemology at the University of Oxford, where I am a part-time philosophy tutor; and for the University of London's External Philosophy Program, for which I am a recognised online philosophy tutor.

I'm also a philosophy tutor for the OCR A-level in Critical Thinking, the CIE A-level in Thinking Skills and the AQA A-level in Philosophy.

And I also help students applying to study philosophy at the University of Oxford prepare for the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA).

My critical thinking tuition combines assignments (textual readings and exercises) with tutorials using Skype or the phone.

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If you require private critical thinking tuition I'd be happy to receive your email:

Entrance Tutor for Advice on Oxbridge Application

Applying to Oxbridge, whatever your subject, can seem a daunting and intimidating prospect.

I took my masters at Cambridge, my doctorate at Oxford, and am now a part-time philosophy tutor at Oxford; so I see the Oxbridge application process from both sides.

I provide practical advice to students on all stages of the Oxbridge entrance procedure; demystifying the process, and helping them improve their chances of success.

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If you would like expert help applying to Oxbridge, then drop me an email, and we can arrange an informal chat:

Philosophy and Logic Tutor

Many undergraduate and postgraduate philosophy courses require a foundation of logical studies that goes beyond the remit of standard critical thinking courses.

As an experienced part-time philosophy and logic tutor at the University of Oxford, and for the University of London's External Philosophy Programme, I am familiar with the difficulties students have when studying formal logic for the first time.

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If you would like an online philosophy tutor to provide logic tuition, then please email me:

I have begun a specialist website which covers all aspects of applying to study philosophy at university: University Philosophy Application Advice.

Click here for help with your 2011 UCAS Philosophy Personal Statement.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Philosophy Tutor

I am an external examiner for the IB Diploma's philosophy subject area and so am intimately familiar both with the IB Diploma syllabus, and the kinds of avoidable mistakes that candidates make that lose them valuable marks.

I teach the philosophy component of Group 3 of the IB Diploma program Individuals and Societies; which includes the philosophy extended essay.

My particular expertise is the Theory of Knowledge (ToK) core requirement of the IB Diploma; having taken my doctorate in the knowledge of meaning at the University of Oxford, where I am now a part-time philosophy tutor myself.

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If you would like a private online philosophy tutor to help you with your IB Diploma philosophy, in particular the ToK or the extended philosophy essay, then I'd be delighted to receive your email:

System of Private Philosophy Tutorials

My system of private philosophy tutorials is based on the Oxford tutoring system, and can be adapted to meet your learning needs; whether you're preparing for a philosophy exam, applying for a philosophy university place, would like to acquire good philosophy essay writing skills, or are simply having difficulty understanding a particular philosophical topic.

After an initial consultation I typically set you some essay titles, selected both to develop your understanding of the topic and to help with your philosophy writing. You email me the completed essay and I return it annotated with contextual comments. When you've reflected on my thoughts and suggestions we then have an e-tutorial discussing the essay and any thoughts that arise.

If you require a philosophy tutor to provide tailored online philosophy tutorials simply click here:

Online Philosophy Tutor for Improved Philosophy Exam Technique

I have marked examination scripts, and moderated students for course credits, at universities and colleges in London, Oxford and Reading; and I'm also an external examiner for the International Baccalaureate. So I'm very familiar with the simple kinds of mistake, which candidates make, that can easily be avoided.

I regularly prepare students for examination, advising on all aspects of successful philosophy exam technique: revision strategy, preparing essay plans, selecting and ordering exam questions, writing style, and argument construction.

If you would like an online philosophy tutor to help improve your chances of success, then I'd be happy to receive your email:

London Philosophy Tutor

Being a recognised philosophy tutor for the University of London's External Program's Philosophy BA and Diploma, I travel regularly to the central London area to the University's Senate House Library.

I am happy to meet, in the Bloomsbury area, students requiring philosophy tutorials.

Here is a list of societies and institutions that host philosophy events in London that are open to the general public:

Aristotelian Society
Forum for European Philosophy
Institute of Philosophy
Royal Institute of Philosophy

You may also like to visit this very helpful website that gives details of regional lectures, in a variety of topics, that are open to the public: The Lecture List

If you'd like tutorials with a London philosophy tutor, then I'd be happy to receive your email:

Online Wittgenstein Tutor

Wittgenstein is a great, perhaps the greatest, philosopher of the twentieth century. His writing style and, relatedly, the structure of his argument, is strikingly original; this can lead to difficulties of interpretation. In particular, it is all too easy to slip into superficial and facile readings of his subtle thought.

Wittgenstein's writing is rich with imagery and aphorism: elsewhere on my website is a page of illustrated Wittgenstein aphorisms and quotations, many of which appear throughout the site.

I studied Wittgenstein for my doctorate, and now teach his later philosophy at the University of Oxford. I have also taught the philosophy of Wittgenstein to students at the University of London and to private students.

If you would like an online philosophy tutor to help with aspects of Wittgenstein's philosophy, then I'd be happy to receive your email:

Tutoring in Argument Construction and Criticism

Good philosophy is based on good argument. But what is a good argument? My area of philosophical specialism is theoretical philosophy, which encompasses logic, and the philosophy of language: the two disciplines that examine the nature of arguments.

I offer online philosophy tuition in argument construction and criticism, covering the following topics: validity, soundness, proof, systems of logic, fallacies.

If you'd like an online philosophy tutor to improve your arguments, I'd be happy to receive your email:

Western and Eastern Philosophy Tutors

It is customary for English-speaking philosophers to divide their subject, roughly, into western and eastern traditions. Western philosophy is the tradition, more or less continuous, from the ancient Greeks (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc.) to the current day. I am a philosophy tutor in this western tradition.

Eastern philosophy, according to this vague distinction, emanates from traditions rooted in the far East (Confucianism from China, and Zen Buddhism from Japan for example); and from the Indian sub-continent (the Upanisads from India itself, for example).

Like many rough-and-ready distinctions, the western/eastern contrast does not bear close scrutiny; it is by no means exclusive or exhaustive for example. (For more on Eastern philosophy, and the weakness of the Western/Eastern contrast, I recommend Eastern Philosophy by Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad.)

If you require a philosophy tutor to introduce you to western philosophy, then I'd be very happy to receive your email:

Analytical and Continental Philosophy Tutors

Western philosophy tutors are often further sub-divided into analytical and continental philosophers; which is principally a division of styles. Very roughly, analytical philosophy is the style that predominates in English-speaking universities; and hence the terms 'analytical' and 'anglophone' are often used interchangeably when describing philosophical styles or traditions. Continental philosophy is, again very roughly, the style that is practiced widely in universities in continental Europe.

So what are these styles? Analytical philosophers emphasise the virtues of clear expression and rigorous argument; so they tend to revere such philosophers as Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell and the early Wittgenstein. Continental philosophers believe that this emphasis on rigour can unduly distort the nature of the subject; and consider such writers as Derrida and Deleuze worthy of study.

Increasingly, however, there is greater dialogue between proponents of these approaches, with many philosophy departments now offering both styles. I am, broadly speaking, a philosophy tutor in the analytical tradition; though my interest in the later Wittgenstein places me closer to continental philosophy.

If you require a philosophy tutor to introduce you to analytical philosophy, then I'd be very happy to receive your email:

Theoretical and Practical/Normative Philosophy Tutors

The subject matter of western analytical philosophy is also sometimes further divided into two broad streams: theoretical and practical/normative philosophy.

Theoretical philosophy encompasses philosophy of knowledge, logic, language, science and metaphysics. Practical or normative philosophy embraces ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy and philosophy of religion.

The distinction is not generally very helpful for describing historical philosophers, who tended to write on both theoretical and practical/normative topics. However, contemporary philosophy is much more specialised, and hence modern western analytical philosophy tutors tend to focus on one area to the exclusion of the other.

My interests identify me as a theoretical philosophy tutor, though I have taught, and continue to study, the philosophy of religion.

If you require a philosophy tutor to introduce you to aspects of theoretical philosophy, then I'd be very happy to receive your email: