Syllabus at a Glance: Units, Chapters and Marks
The Class 12 Philosophy syllabus for the academic year 2025-26 is prescribed by the state board and is followed by all schools affiliated to it. The subject is taught as a single paper of 100 marks, divided into seven units, with one chapter per unit. The syllabus document is published in both English and Marathi, so you can study and write the exam in whichever medium your school uses.
The official syllabus PDF is available on the state board website. The details below were last verified on 12 June 2025 [verify]. Always cross-check the unit list and marks against the current official PDF before you finalise your study plan, because small revisions are sometimes issued at the start of the year.
| Unit No. | Chapter Title | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | There is something, but what it is | [verify] |
| 2 | What is Cause? | [verify] |
| 3 | Who am I? What am I? | [verify] |
| 4 | How do we know? | [verify] |
| 5 | Science, Technology and Philosophy | [verify] |
| 6 | Ethics and Human Conduct | [verify] |
| 7 | Philosophy of Religion | [verify] |
Marks are not split evenly across units in most state board papers, so do not assume each unit carries the same weight. Once you have the official PDF, note the marks or period allocation printed against each unit and use that to decide how much time to give each chapter. For a quick start, pair this page with the chapter-wise textbook solutions and the previous year question papers to see how each unit is actually tested.
Chapter-wise Syllabus with Sub-topics
Each of the seven units is built around one question, and the sub-topics under it are the ideas you need to explain, compare and evaluate. Read the unit title as the main question of the chapter and the sub-topics as the parts of the answer. Marks are not divided equally between units, so the weightage column below is deliberately marked [verify]: check the official PDF for the period or marks allocation printed against each unit before you decide how much time to give it.
| Unit No. | Chapter Title | Sub-topics | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | There is something, but what it is | Metaphysics as enquiry into reality; appearance and reality; the question of what exists; one and many; being and becoming [verify] | [verify] |
| 2 | What is Cause? | Meaning of cause and causation; cause and effect relationship; types of causes; determinism and free will; the problem of induction [verify] | [verify] |
| 3 | Who am I? What am I? | The self and personal identity; body and mind; consciousness; self as soul or as stream of experiences; continuity of identity across time [verify] | [verify] |
| 4 | How do we know? | Sources of knowledge: perception, inference, testimony; reason and experience; doubt and certainty; truth and validity; limits of knowledge [verify] | [verify] |
| 5 | Science, Technology and Philosophy | Nature of scientific method; observation, hypothesis and verification; science and philosophy compared; technology and human values; ethical questions raised by technology [verify] | [verify] |
| 6 | Ethics and Human Conduct | Meaning of ethics and morality; good and right; duty and consequence; freedom and responsibility; applied moral questions [verify] | [verify] |
| 7 | Philosophy of Religion | Nature of religious belief; arguments for and against the existence of God; faith and reason; religious language; religious pluralism [verify] | [verify] |
The sub-topics listed above are the standard scope of each unit [verify]. The exact wording in your prescribed textbook may be slightly different, so treat the textbook headings as final and use this table as a checklist of ideas.
Unit 1: There is something, but what it is
This unit introduces metaphysics, the branch of philosophy that asks what reality is like beyond how it appears to us. The central problem is simple to state and hard to answer: we see a changing world, yet we also speak of things as stable and real. A table, for example, looks solid and unchanging, but it is made of particles in motion. So is the table real, or only its parts, or both? Learn the pair of terms appearance and reality, and the pair being (what is) and becoming (what changes).
Board questions from this unit usually ask you to define these terms and then explain the one-and-many problem: is the world one underlying reality or many separate things? A common mistake is to give only definitions and no explanation of the problem. The fix is to state the question, give the two opposing positions, and then say which you find more convincing and why.
Unit 2: What is Cause?
Here you study causation: the relation between what happens and what makes it happen. Learn the difference between a cause and a condition, and between a necessary condition and a sufficient condition. A worked example helps: striking a match is the cause of the flame, but oxygen, a dry matchstick and friction are conditions without which no flame appears. If the syllabus includes determinism and free will [verify], prepare the standard argument that if every event has a cause, human choices may also be caused, and the counter-argument that some choices are free.
Unit 3: Who am I? What am I?
This unit is about personal identity: what makes you the same person today as you were five years ago, even though your body and your beliefs have changed. Prepare the two main answers, the self as an enduring soul or substance, and the self as a continuing stream of experiences and memories [verify]. A typical exam question asks you to compare these views. Marks are usually given for a clear statement of each view, one supporting reason, one objection, and a short conclusion.
Unit 4: How do we know?
Epistemology is the study of knowledge: what it is, where it comes from, and how far it can go. Learn the sources of knowledge, mainly perception, inference and testimony, and the difference between knowing something and merely believing it truly. A useful test question: if you believe the bus will come because it always has, do you know it will come? Discuss reason versus experience, and the role of doubt in testing beliefs. Definitions of truth and validity are frequently asked, so keep them precise.
Unit 5: Science, Technology and Philosophy
This unit connects scientific method with philosophical questions. Learn the steps of the scientific method, observation, hypothesis, experiment and verification, and then ask what philosophy adds that science does not. Science describes how things behave; philosophy asks what those descriptions mean and whether the methods used are reliable. The technology part raises value questions, such as whether a new tool should be used simply because it can be built [verify]. Answers here score well when you give a concrete example, for instance a medical test with a false result, and explain the ethical issue it creates.
Unit 6: Ethics and Human Conduct
Ethics studies how we ought to act. Learn the difference between good (what is valuable) and right (what we are permitted or required to do). Compare the two broad approaches: judging an action by its consequences, and judging it by the duty or rule behind it [verify]. Then connect both to freedom and responsibility, since a person can only be held responsible for an action if it was freely chosen. Applied questions, such as whether lying is ever justified, are common in the paper; answer them by applying a principle, not by giving only your personal opinion.
Unit 7: Philosophy of Religion
This unit examines religious belief philosophically rather than devotionally. Prepare the standard arguments for the existence of God, such as the argument from design or from cause [verify], and the main objections to them. Also prepare the relation between faith and reason, and the question of whether talk about God uses words in the same sense as talk about ordinary things. A frequent exam task is to state one argument, give one criticism, and evaluate it. Avoid writing a purely religious answer; the examiner looks for reasoning.
To see how these units are actually tested, work through the chapter-wise textbook solutions alongside the previous year question papers, and note which sub-topics repeat every year.
Exam Pattern and Question Paper Design
The Philosophy paper is a single written exam of 3 hours carrying 100 marks. There is no practical, project or internal assessment component: the whole result depends on this one theory paper [verify]. That makes the question paper design worth knowing in detail, because how you spread your answers across the paper matters as much as what you have learnt.
Types of Questions
The paper moves from short objective items to longer explanatory answers. Objective questions test whether you can recall a term, a name or a definition correctly. Short answer questions (2 to 3 marks) ask you to define a term or state one position in two or three sentences. Long answer questions (4 to 5 marks) ask you to explain a view, compare two views, or evaluate an argument, and these need a short introduction, the explanation, and a conclusion.
Mark Distribution
| Question type | Number of questions | Marks per question | Total marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective (MCQ, fill in the blank, match the pair) | [verify] | 1 | [verify] |
| Short answer | [verify] | 2 to 3 | [verify] |
| Long answer | [verify] | 4 to 5 | [verify] |
| Total | [verify] | 100 |
The exact number of questions in each group changes with the board's paper design for the year, so check the printed instructions on the first page of the paper before you begin writing [verify].
Internal Assessment (if any)
There is no internal assessment for this subject; the paper is purely theory-based [verify]. Your entire preparation should therefore aim at written answers: accurate definitions, clear explanations and structured arguments.
For time, a workable split is 10 minutes for reading the paper and planning, about 30 minutes for all objective and short answer questions, roughly 90 minutes for the long answers, and the last 20 minutes for checking. A common mistake is writing a 5-mark answer at the length of a 2-mark answer, which loses marks for incomplete explanation. The fix: count the marks, then write one clear point for each mark. Practise with Class 12 Philosophy previous year question papers to get the timing right before the exam.
Mapping Chapters to the Prescribed Textbook
The state board prescribes one official textbook for Class 12 Philosophy, and the paper is set from it. The syllabus tells you the scope, that is, which topics can be asked; the textbook tells you what to actually write in the answer. Treat the syllabus as the boundary and the textbook as the content inside it. If a sub-topic appears in the syllabus but you cannot find it in the textbook, ask your teacher where it is covered rather than skipping it.
The table below maps each unit to its place in the textbook. Page numbers differ between the English and Marathi editions, so check the contents page of the copy you actually use.
| Unit | Chapter title | Textbook location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | There is something, but what it is | Chapter 1 [verify] |
| 2 | What is Cause? | Chapter 2 [verify] |
| 3 | Who am I? What am I? | Chapter 3 [verify] |
| 4 | How do we know? | Chapter 4 [verify] |
| 5 | Science, Technology and Philosophy | Chapter 5 [verify] |
| 6 | Ethics and Human Conduct | Chapter 6 [verify] |
| 7 | Philosophy of Religion | Chapter 7 [verify] |
Read the textbook chapter once for meaning before you make notes, then use the syllabus sub-topics as a checklist to see whether anything in the chapter has been left out. The textbook is published in both English and Marathi, so the same content is available whichever medium you write the paper in. Once a chapter is read, test yourself with the chapter-wise textbook solutions before moving to the next one.
Medium of Instruction and Availability
Class 12 Philosophy is taught and examined in two mediums: English and Marathi. The syllabus PDF and the prescribed textbook both exist in these two languages, with the same seven units and the same sub-topics in each. The Marathi edition is not a shortened or simplified version; it covers the same content, so nothing is lost by choosing it.
You may write your board answers in either medium, and the medium of your answer sheet does not have to match the medium of your school's teaching. Choose the language in which you can explain an argument most clearly under time pressure. A student who thinks in Marathi but studies from the English book often writes weaker answers than one who simply uses the Marathi textbook throughout. Pick one medium and stay with it for the whole year, because switching midway means relearning the philosophical terms twice.
The official syllabus is downloadable in both languages from the state board website. Look for the Philosophy paper under the Class 12 syllabus list and select the English or Marathi file: [verify]. Keep a printed copy of your chosen medium in your folder, since page numbers and headings differ between the two editions.
Whichever medium you choose, the practice material should match it. Solve Class 12 Philosophy previous year question papers in your exam medium, and check your definitions against the chapter-wise textbook solutions in the same language.
How to Use the Syllabus for Effective Preparation
A syllabus is not a list to glance at once and forget. Used properly, it becomes your planning document: it tells you what to study, in what order, and how much each part is worth. Treat the printed copy in your folder as a working sheet you mark up through the year.
Creating a Study Plan
Count backwards from your board exam date and divide the year into blocks. A practical split is one unit every two weeks, which leaves roughly two months at the end for revision and question paper practice. Seven units over about fourteen working weeks is a pace you can actually hold, unlike a plan that finishes the book in one month and leaves you with nothing to revise.
Set a weekly target in terms of sub-topics, not pages. For example, "this week: the four kinds of cause in Unit 2, plus the difference between necessary and sufficient conditions." Sub-topics are the unit the board examines, so planning by sub-topic keeps your targets honest. Write the week's target at the top of a page and do not move to the next unit until it is met.
Tracking Progress
Print the chapter-wise syllabus table and keep it inside your textbook. As you finish each sub-topic, tick it and write the date beside it. After a month, the unticked boxes show exactly where you are behind, without guesswork.
Alongside the ticks, keep brief notes for every sub-topic: a one-line definition of each key term, and the argument in three or four steps (premise, premise, conclusion). For instance, under Unit 4 ("How do we know?"), note the difference between rationalism and empiricism in two sentences each, then one reason a philosopher gives for preferring one. These notes become your revision material in February, when rereading the whole textbook is no longer possible.
Focusing on High-Weightage Topics
Use the marks column in the syllabus table to decide where depth is worth the effort. A unit carrying more marks deserves more of your answer-writing practice; a lighter unit still needs coverage, but a clear definition and one example may be enough. If marks per unit are not printed in your copy of the syllabus [verify], infer weightage from the number of sub-topics and from repeated appearances in past papers.
Solve at least one full Class 12 Philosophy previous year question paper after every two units, timed at three hours. This does two things: it shows you which question types repeat, and it exposes topics you thought you knew but cannot explain on paper. When an answer goes wrong, check it against the chapter-wise textbook solutions before moving on, because the same mistake usually returns in the next test.
Philosophy-Specific Preparation Strategies
Philosophy is not a subject you can pass by memorising paragraphs. Marks come from showing that you can follow an argument and respond to it. A student who writes ten lines explaining what a philosopher said, without saying why he said it or whether it holds up, loses marks even when the content is correct.
Understanding Arguments and Logic
An argument, in Philosophy, is not a quarrel. It is a set of statements where some (the premises) are offered as support for another (the conclusion). Train yourself to pull every topic apart this way. Take a typical question: "Does the world have a cause?" Read the textbook answer, then write it in your notebook as:
- Premise 1: Every event we observe has a cause.
- Premise 2: The world is an event (or a series of events).
- Conclusion: The world has a cause.
Now ask the examiner's question: is the argument valid, and is Premise 1 actually true? That single step, from summary to evaluation, is where the higher marks sit. Do this for every major topic in Units 2, 4 and 7, which deal with cause, knowledge and religion.
Memorising Definitions and Key Terms
You still need exact definitions, because a loose definition costs marks in short-answer questions. Keep a glossary at the back of one notebook, one line per term: the term, its definition in your own words, and one example. Entries might include rationalism (knowledge comes primarily from reason), empiricism (knowledge comes primarily from experience), necessary condition (cannot be absent if the event occurs) and sufficient condition (its presence guarantees the event). Write the glossary by hand, revise it weekly, and add to it as each unit finishes. A term you can define in one sentence is a term you can use in a long answer.
Practising Answer Writing
Structure every long answer in four moves: a short introduction that states the question, an explanation of the view or concept, a critical analysis (strengths, weaknesses, an objection and a reply), and a conclusion that takes a position. For a 4 or 5 mark question, aim for roughly 120 to 150 words; a 2 mark question needs only a definition and one example. A common mistake is writing the introduction and explanation at length and running out of space for the analysis, which is exactly where the marks are. The fix: draft the analysis first, then write the introduction to lead into it.
Practise under time pressure. Take one question from the Class 12 Philosophy important questions list, set a timer for eight minutes, and write a full answer without opening the book. Then check it against the chapter-wise textbook solutions and mark your own answer for structure, not just content. Two timed answers a week from October onwards will do more for your speed and clarity than rereading chapters.
Other Subjects for Class 12
Philosophy is only one paper in your Class 12 timetable. If you are also preparing for History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, Psychology or Sociology, the same syllabus page format applies to each of them: units, sub-topics, marks weightage and the prescribed textbook. Keep the syllabus of every subject you have chosen in one folder, so that when the board notifies a revision you can check all of them in a single sitting.
Use the links below to reach the syllabus pages for your other subjects:
- Maharashtra Board Class 12 syllabus for other subjects (all subjects in one place)
- Class 12 Philosophy textbook solutions (chapter-wise answers to check your writing)
- Class 12 Philosophy previous year question papers (full papers for timed practice)
- Class 12 Philosophy important questions (topic-wise practice before the exam)
- How to prepare for Class 12 board exams (general study tips that apply across subjects)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chapters are there in the Class 12 Philosophy syllabus?
The syllabus is organised into seven units, and each unit is treated as one chapter in the textbook. Together they cover metaphysics, causation, the self, knowledge, philosophy of science, ethics and religion.
What are the chapter names?
The seven units are: "There is something, but what it is", "What is Cause?", "Who am I? What am I?", "How do we know?", "Science, Technology and Philosophy", "Ethics and Human Conduct" and "Philosophy of Religion". Sub-topics for each are listed in the chapter-wise syllabus table above.
Is the syllabus available in Marathi medium?
Yes. The state board publishes the syllabus and the prescribed textbook in both English and Marathi, and you may write the board exam in either medium. Choose one medium at the start of the year and stick to it, because switching later means relearning your glossary of terms.
What is the exam pattern and marks distribution?
The written paper is of 100 marks and 3 hours [verify]. There is no practical or internal assessment component; the subject is assessed purely through the theory paper. Question types and the suggested time for each are set out in the exam pattern section above.
Has the syllabus changed for the current academic year?
The unit structure described on this page reflects the syllabus as last verified [verify]. Always confirm against the official PDF on the board website before you finalise your study plan, since minor revisions to sub-topics are sometimes notified quietly.
Where can I download the official syllabus PDF?
From the state board's official website, in the syllabus section for Class 12. The download links for both mediums are given in the medium of instruction section above.
How should I start preparing?
Read one unit from the textbook, then attempt its questions using the chapter-wise textbook solutions to check your structure. Once two or three units are done, attempt a full paper from the previous year question papers to see how the seven units are actually distributed across questions.
How many chapters are there in the MSBSHSE Class 12 Philosophy syllabus?
The Class 12 Philosophy syllabus has seven units, with one chapter per unit. Each chapter is built around a single core question, from 'There is something, but what it is' to 'Philosophy of Religion'. The paper is a single 100-mark exam covering all seven chapters, so no unit can be skipped entirely.
What are the chapter names in the Class 12 Philosophy syllabus?
The seven chapters are: There is something, but what it is; What is Cause?; Who am I? What am I?; How do we know?; Science, Technology and Philosophy; Ethics and Human Conduct; and Philosophy of Religion. Treat each title as the main question of the chapter and the sub-topics under it as the parts of your answer. [verify]
Is the Maharashtra Board Class 12 Philosophy syllabus available in Marathi medium?
Yes. The state board publishes the Philosophy syllabus in both English and Marathi, and you may study and write the exam in whichever medium your school uses. Ask your teacher for the Marathi version if your textbook is in Marathi, since the chapter titles and sub-topic wording will match your book exactly.
What is the exam pattern and marks distribution for Class 12 Philosophy?
Philosophy is a single theory paper of 100 marks with no practical component. Marks are not split evenly across the seven units, so check the marks or period allocation printed against each unit in the official PDF before dividing your study time. [verify] Pair this with previous year question papers to see which units carry heavier questions.
Has the Class 12 Philosophy syllabus changed for the current academic year?
The syllabus for 2025-26 is the one prescribed by the state board and followed by all affiliated schools. Small revisions are sometimes issued at the start of the year, so compare your copy against the current official PDF before finalising a study plan. Details on this page were last checked on 12 June 2025. [verify]
Where can I download the official MSBSHSE Class 12 Philosophy syllabus PDF?
Download it from the state board's official website, where the syllabus is posted in English and Marathi. Save the PDF to your phone or print it, then mark the marks or periods against each of the seven units. Use that marked copy, not a coaching handout, as the final reference for your revision plan. [verify]