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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Philosophy by The University of Edinburgh

4.7
stars
9,388 ratings

About the Course

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. Topics you’ll learn about will include: Epistemology, where we’ll consider what our knowledge of the world and ourselves consists in, and how we come to have it; Philosophy of science, where we’ll investigate foundational conceptual issues in scientific research and practice; Philosophy of Mind, where we’ll ask questions about what it means for something to have a mind, and how minds should be understood and explained; Political Philosophy, where we'll investigate whether we have an obligation to obey the law; Moral Philosophy, where we’ll attempt to understand the nature of our moral judgements and reactions – whether they aim at some objective moral truth, or are mere personal or cultural preferences, and; Metaphysics, where we’ll think through some fundamental conceptual questions about free will and the nature of reality. The development of this MOOC has been led by the University of Edinburgh's Eidyn research centre. To accompany 'Introduction to Philosophy', we are pleased to announce a tie-in book from Routledge entitled 'Philosophy for Everyone'. This course companion to the 'Introduction to Philosophy' course was written by the Edinburgh Philosophy team expressly with the needs of MOOC students in mind. 'Philosophy for Everyone' contains clear and user-friendly chapters, chapter summaries, glossary, study questions, suggestions for further reading and guides to online resources. Please click "Start Here" and navigate to the "Optional Reading" page for more information....

Top reviews

LT

Sep 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.

G

Apr 10, 2021

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.

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1876 - 1900 of 2,197 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Divyadarshan c

Jan 31, 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 sophia

May 18, 2020

I really like the course and contents are very interesting, but tricky sometimes to understand. Unfortunately I've got to de enroll due to new work commitment but will try and rejoin later.

By Alan A S

Jan 14, 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 Rubin S

Jul 8, 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 Gervasio C

Jul 31, 2020

Interesting class, makes you think about possibilities which I would not have expected. Also, great course to force you to think critically and objectively about questions and issues.

By Muhannad Z

Jun 2, 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 Bruce F

Jul 2, 2020

Tremendously enjoyed presentations and content. Must say, organizational structure of course and modules were not always easy to follow. Would I recommend this course? Absolutely.

By Christopher L

Mar 30, 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 David E

Apr 20, 2016

The course material is mostly good if a bit basic at times. If the notes went a little more in depth, or the suggested resources were a little less bulky, it would be 5 stars.

By Pedro A F G

Sep 1, 2015

Great material, greta program and greta discussion. I really enjoyed this class and learned a lot. I recommend this to any one who wants to be challenge out of "confort zone".

By CHRISTOPHER K

Feb 19, 2022

Good introduction if you are thinking of studying Analytic philosophy but if your main interest is Continental Philosophy, then this course does not inlcude any introduction.

By Luke P

Sep 11, 2016

Great introduction to Philosophy! I think the last couple of weeks could've been done a bit better as they're quite niche forms of philosophy but other than that it's great.

By TOMAS C

Sep 1, 2020

Vale la pena , quienes no habiamos incursionado en este tema, nos da la posibilidad de aprender algo mas . Me siento satisfecho por haber realizado el curso introductorio.

By Vanshaj G

Feb 6, 2017

Great course, it exposed me to quite a few ideas but i only felt that we could've gone deeper into the topics. For an introductory course, it was quite informative though!

By Alex O

Apr 24, 2018

A very good introductory course for anyone. It should'nt stop just by completing it but by reviewing the content when needed. Thans a lt fot this course to all lecturers.

By Genise W

Sep 30, 2015

Great job on this course!!. It honestly stretched my critical thinking and even frustrated me greatly. Glad to pass this !!! Highly recommended for critical thinkers !!

By Mihaela D

Sep 6, 2020

An interesting course but I was expecting more references of classical philosophers. I really enjoyed Michella Massimi part, very attractive way of teaching.

Thank you!

By Saurav P

Apr 13, 2020

Great introduction to a field i was quite clueless about but always fascinated with. Its given me a different perspective with which i can look at the world around me

By 杨洋

Feb 27, 2020

It is a brief and useful class for learning the most basic yet also most important topics in philosophy area. And it also helps develop the critical way of thinking.

By stephen l

Jun 10, 2017

a good clear intro to the subject. Buy the book too, but may be not in kindle format. Paper format is better as flipping back and marking is easier for Philosophy.

By Sidney C

Aug 17, 2015

I am compelled to maintain interest in the lectures and I have so far completed the second week. I think it is a good class and hope that it can only get better.

By Colleen M

Aug 31, 2015

A very good introduction to some of the fundamental and important ideas in philosophy, delivered in an engaging and straightforward fashion. Highly recommended.

By Timotheus K

May 7, 2019

This course is structured around relevant contemporary topics as opposed to the history of philosophy. I truly appreciated the practical syllabus of the course.

By Ong S Y

Jun 4, 2020

I think that this is a very good introductory course. Does not delve too deep, but deep enough to learn something and grasp some basics. Loved Suilin's videos.

By Kjartan I A

Apr 20, 2020

I like how I have unfluence over what areas to explore and I wasn't railroaded into a specific path just as the course explains about free will. Very fitting.