This course will introduce you to some of the main areas of research in contemporary philosophy. Each module a different philosopher will talk you through some of the most important questions and issues in their area of expertise. We’ll begin by trying to understand what philosophy is – what are its characteristic aims and methods, and how does it differ from other subjects? Then we’ll spend the rest of the course gaining an introductory overview of several different areas of philosophy.
Introduction to Philosophy
Offered By
Introduction to Philosophy
The University of Edinburgh
About this Course
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started a new career after completing these courses
28%
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Learner Career Outcomes
42%
started a new career after completing these courses
28%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
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Approx. 15 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Hebrew
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
2 hours to complete
What is Philosophy?
(Dr. Dave Ward) We’ll start the course by thinking about what Philosophy actually is: what makes it different from other subjects? What are its distinctive aims and methods? We'll also think about why the questions that philosophers attempt to answer are often thought to be both fundamental and important, and have a look at how philosophy is actually practiced. Finally, we'll briefly touch upon two very influential philosophers' answers to the question of how we can know whether, in any given case, there really is a right way of thinking about things.
2 hours to complete
4 videos (Total 47 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes
4 videos
Philosophy: Difficult, Important and Everywhere11m
Philosophy: How Do We Do It?17m
Is There A 'Right Way' To Think About Things?6m
3 readings
About this Course10m
Module: What is Philosophy?10m
Optional Reading10m
2 practice exercises
Practice: What is Philosophy?8m
What is Philosophy?10m
1 hour to complete
Morality: Objective, Relative or Emotive?
(Dr. Matthew Chrisman) We all live with some sense of what is good or bad, some feelings about which ways of conducting ourselves are better or worse. But what is the status of these moral beliefs, senses, or feelings? Should we think of them as reflecting hard, objective facts about our world, of the sort that scientists could uncover and study? Or should we think of moral judgements as mere expressions of personal or cultural preferences? In this module we’ll survey some of the different options that are available when we’re thinking about these issues, and the problems and prospects for each.
1 hour to complete
4 videos (Total 44 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
4 videos
Objectivism, Relativism and Emotivism13m
Objections to Objectivism, Relativism and Emotivism11m
Further Discussion7m
2 readings
Module: Morality: Objective, Emotive or Relative?10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Practice: Morality: Objective, Relative or Emotive?12m
1 hour to complete
What is Knowledge? And Do We Have Any?
(Professor Duncan Pritchard) We know a lot of things – or, at least, we think we do. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge; what it is, and the ways we can come to have it. In this module, we’ll take a tour through some of the issues that arise in this branch of philosophy. In particular, we’ll think about what radical scepticism means for our claims to knowledge. How can we know something is the case if we’re unable to rule out possibilities that are clearly incompatible with it?
1 hour to complete
5 videos (Total 56 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
5 videos
The Classical Account of Knowledge and the Gettier Problem18m
Do We Have Any Knowledge?10m
Further Discussion 110m
Further Discussion 23m
2 readings
Module: What is Knowledge? And Do We Have Any?10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Practice: What is Knowledge? And Do We Have Any?12m
1 hour to complete
Week 2 review: Lesson Choices
1 hour to complete
2 practice exercises
Morality: Objective, Relative or Emotive?20m
What is Knowledge? And Do We Have Any?24m
1 hour to complete
Do We Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?
(Dr. Guy Fletcher) The laws of a state govern what we can and cannot do within that state. But do we have an obligation to obey those laws? In this module, we'll discuss this question, together with some of the main positions that philosophers have developed in response to it. We'll start off by examining what obeying the law means exactly. Then we'll look at three factors that might form the basis of an obligation to follow the law. Finally, we'll discuss what the consequences might be if the problem can't be solved.
1 hour to complete
7 videos (Total 27 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
7 videos
The Grounds of Political Obligation2m
Gratitude and Benefit4m
Consent8m
Fairness3m
What if the Problem Can't Be Solved?1m
Summary1m
2 readings
Module: Do We Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Practice: Do We Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?20m
1 hour to complete
Should You Believe What You Hear?
(Dr. Allan Hazlett) Much of what we think about the world we believe on the basis of what other people say. But is this trust in other people's testimony justified? In this module, we’ll investigate how this question was addressed by two great philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment, David Hume (1711 - 1776) and Thomas Reid (1710 - 1796). Hume and Reid's dispute about testimony represents a clash between two worldviews that would continue to clash for centuries: a skeptical and often secular worldview, eager to question everything (represented by Hume), and a conservative and often religious worldview, keen to defend common sense (represented by Reid).
1 hour to complete
5 videos (Total 25 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
5 videos
Reid's Challenge to Hume2m
Reid's Argument5m
Kant, the Enlightenment and Intellectual Autonomy4m
The Value of Intellectual Autonomy3m
2 readings
Module: Should You Believe What You Hear?10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Practice: Should You Believe What You Hear?8m
1 hour to complete
Week 3 review: Lesson Choices
1 hour to complete
2 practice exercises
Do We Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?20m
Should You Believe What You Hear?20m
2 hours to complete
Minds, Brains and Computers
(Dr. Suilin Lavelle) If you’re reading this, then you’ve got a mind. But what is a mind, and what does it take to have one? Should we understand minds as sets of dispositions to behave in certain ways, as patterns of neural activation, or as akin to programmes that are run on the computational hardware of our brains? In this module, we’ll look at how and why recent philosophy of mind and psychology has embraced each of these options in turn, and think about the problems and prospects for each.
2 hours to complete
7 videos (Total 57 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
7 videos
Physicalism: Identity Theory and Functionalism13m
Functionalism and What Mental States Do8m
Functionalism and Functional Complexity4m
Minds vs. Machines: The Turing Test and the Chinese Room11m
Minds vs. Machines: Problems for the Computational View of the Mind4m
Further Discussion4m
2 readings
Module: Mind, Brains and Computers10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Practice: Minds, Brains and Computers24m
1 hour to complete
Are Scientific Theories True?
(Professor Michela Massimi) In this module we will explore a central and ongoing debate in contemporary philosophy of science: whether or not scientific theories are true. Or better, whether a scientific theory needs to be 'true' to be good at all. The answer to this question comes in two main varieties. Scientific realists believe that theories ought to be true in order to be good. We will analyse their main argument for this claim (which goes under the name of 'no miracles argument'), and some prominent objections to it. Scientific antirealists, on the other hand, defend the view that there is nothing special about 'truth' and that scientific theories and scientific progress can be understood without appeal to it. The aim of this session is to present both views, their main arguments, and prospects.
1 hour to complete
7 videos (Total 29 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
7 videos
Saving the Phenomena? Ptolemeic Astronomy5m
Truth? Galileo and Copernican Astronomy2m
Scientific Realism and the No Miracles Argument3m
Scientific Anti-Realism: Constructive Empiricism7m
Realist Rejoinders: Inference to the Best Explanation5m
Concluding Summary2m
2 readings
Module: Are Scientific Theories True?10m
Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh10m
1 practice exercise
Practice: Are Scientific Theories True?16m
1 hour to complete
Week 4 review: Lesson Choices
1 hour to complete
2 practice exercises
Minds, Brains and Computers20m
Are Scientific Theories True?20m
Reviews
4.6
TOP REVIEWS FROM INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
by LTSep 1, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this course and find that it encouragingly sets some directions, and of course, raises my excitement for further study into some of the different fields of philosophy. Thank you.
by CCOct 7, 2015
Great explanations that is broken down with examples for understanding. Quizzes test for your understanding of the topic rather than just the textbook explanations. Challenging and thought revoking.
by ACOct 6, 2019
This is an excellent course for those who wish to perform the first dive in philosophy. The content is wonderful and the teachers are very didactic. I really enjoy my "Introduction to Philosophy"!
by ARJul 5, 2017
I found this course incredibly stimulating. A wonderfully structured introduction to European philosophy. All modules well presented. How lucky we are to have learning like this at our fingertips.
by SDJul 3, 2019
This course is my first ever serious attempt to know Philosophy and it has been an excellent opportunity to know about different facets of modern Philosophy. I am curious to know more now! Thanks!
by MLDec 17, 2019
Abstract thinking and questioning of what we do know versus what is unknown to us. There isn't precise answers to everything but the exploration is what matters. Think, think and think again.
by DCJan 30, 2016
It was very interesting and of great relevance to many aspect of my fields of interest. They even had a special lecture on the philosophy of time travel that was a cherry on top of the cake!
by JRAug 28, 2015
Excellent introduction to the the discipline of philosophy. The professors are experts and very accessible in their presentation of complex ideas. I am very happy to have taken this course.
by LPOct 21, 2016
it helps me a lot in my studies....\n\nupon enrolling this online course it's a big help in my Philosophy subject here in my school. hope that you may continue to help more student like me.
by ASJan 13, 2016
Very interesting but the video ended abruptly when I was expecting a question. There appears to be no link to the next part of the course. I would have found a facility to rewind helpful.
by RSJul 7, 2017
Super good course. The course gives a birds' eye view of philosophy, various substrata of thinking within the field and really gave me a deeper understanding of what philosophy is about.
by JTFeb 10, 2018
This course was great. I really enjoyed every minute of the lectures. It has sparked the curiosity in philosophy once more in my life. I want to continue studying more about philosophy.
by MZJun 1, 2017
I was not too much interested in Philosophy, but I really enjoyed some parts of this course. It has been conducted in a simple way with keeping the reach content. Thank you very much!
by RESep 4, 2015
A real philosophy course in the sense that it prompts you to do philosophy (along with the help of the history of philosophy) rather then just teaching you the history of philosophy.
by AJAug 23, 2015
A wonderful course that makes you understand what it means to think. Provides you with new perspective altogether of looking at things in the world. I'm absolutely loving the course.
by SBJun 14, 2019
Course was excellent, because of the skilled lecturers I quit animation school and I went on to further study. I am now almost finished double Ba degrees in Philosophy and Theology.
by EJNov 30, 2016
The course was really interesting. The modules were taught by different professors. They were all very engaging. And I specially liked Professor Michela Massimi and Dr. Dave Ward.
by TDJul 26, 2017
Good range of topics; appropriate level of difficulty and well structured and delivered. Gave a broad introduction, but also showed ways in which learning could be taken further.
by CLMar 29, 2016
Very well done. Most of the instructors use introductory language and do not refer to advanced theories, philosophies, and philosophers with which students may not be familiar.
by PDOct 5, 2016
This is absolutely fantastic course. Thank you very much for offering it! The course content is very good and there pointers to enormous amount of very enlightening literature!
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