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

4.7
stars
9,093 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.

CC

Oct 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.

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1801 - 1825 of 2,120 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Paul B

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Jun 3, 2019

As a complete novice I struggled at times with the content and my understanding of the topics being taught, but its important to not only listen and watch the video's but to also read the extra material.

By Kramer K

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Feb 9, 2017

Fun, informative course that doesn't take too much time. I would suggest it for people who are new to learning Philosophy, because it may be too simple for people with a decent knowledge of philosophy.

By Piyathida C

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May 2, 2020

I gain a lot of knowledge about philosophy through this course. Until I ask myself after finishing, do I really know anything? Or I didn't know anything at all? HAHAHA! GREAT COURSE! Thank you so much!

By Shashank S

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Aug 8, 2020

Great course! Explained the basic concepts of philosophy in an extremely clear way. My thanks to all the professors for the lectures and for everyone responsible for this course to be available.

By Nishtha A

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May 10, 2020

The course can be considered enriching and fulfilling for the curious soul. It can get monotonous at times but with firm determination one can gain a new sense of perception and thought from it.

By Nymoom S

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May 16, 2020

I enjoyed the course a bit. But in middle i got stuck for some lectures which were designed in a bit difficult way to understand. Otherwise the rest of the materials were great. Learnt a Lot!

By Ming

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Dec 18, 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 Jonás H

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May 5, 2017

Excelente curso y maestros, solo recomendar que hay videos que no están traducidos al español creo que son 3, y que los exámenes no estén en español afecta mucho el desempeño. Pero muy bien,

By Divyadarshan c

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!