Sep 02, 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.
Oct 08, 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.
교육 기관: Zully N F M
•Sep 12, 2017
es excelente, tuve conocimientos de algunas temas que ignoraba
교육 기관: sushree p
•Jun 09, 2018
Really thought provoking and interesting course
교육 기관: Daniel L B M
•Mar 04, 2018
Excellent course as introduction to Philosophy
교육 기관: Bennett S
•Jan 18, 2017
Nice
교육 기관: Jiali S
•Apr 26, 2017
I like this course a lot and have spent several days following all the lectures, for a feeling that the whole course is formulated not with a historical/overwhelmed view but aims to inspire a true interest in the ways of thinking. A discursive thought path and I've really enjoyed it. Thank you for your sharing knowledge and kind design. Besides, the materials for independent learning are good guide! At least, I know where to find trustworthy information. THANKS!
교육 기관: Fegie P M
•Nov 12, 2016
Our mission for this module is to try and understand a little bit about what philosophy, as a subject, actually is. What makes it different from other subjects? What are its distinctive aims and methods? We'll think about two claims that are often made about philosophy: that it deals with questions that are, in some sense, fundamental; and that it deals with questions that are of some special importance. We'll also look at how philosophy is actually practiced by exploring some of the criteria philosophers bring to bear when assessing the success of philosophical arguments. Finally, we'll finish by briefly thinking about how two very influential philosophers - David Hume (1711-1776) and Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) - attempted to answer the question of how we can know whether, in any given case, there really is a right way of looking at things.
Resources
A handout for this module is here.
A large format handout for this module is here.
Assessment
In addition to the in-video quizzes, there is a short review quiz for this module's material. Also, why not take some time to introduce yourself to your coursemates on the discussion forums, and chat about the lectures from this module. Did anything not make sense? Was there anything you found especially interesting? How would you answer some of the questions raised in the lecture?
Additional Resources
There is an interesting selection of philosophers attempting to give their own definitions of philosophy at Philosophy Bites, here.
For a detailed historical survey of different conceptions of philosophy have a look at this article from the Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy.
Both of these are excellent resources, and well worth browsing for material relevant to the rest of the course.
If you'd like to think more about the argument concerning free will, then this Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy article is a good place to start.
If you would like to read more about Hume and his work have a look at this article from the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, as well as this article from the Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. Moreover, If you fancy having a go at reading some of Hume's works you can find selected texts at this page, part of Jonathan Bennett's fantastic project Early Modern Texts.
If you would like to read more about Kant and his work have a look at this article from the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. Selected works of Kant can also be found at Early Modern Texts. Be warned, however, they can be pretty heavy going!
For a slightly more irreverent view on Hume, Kant, and the question 'Why do philosophy?' have a listen to the linked podcasts from The Partially Examined Life. Warning: contains occasional strong language!
교육 기관: Smailey B
•Feb 20, 2017
Os professores e os materiais de suporte são ótimos. O tema reflete exatamente o nome do curso, tratando-se de questões introdutórias à filosofia. Foi um tempo muito bem investido. Recomendo.
교육 기관: Joseph C I
•Dec 05, 2016
Great Course !!
교육 기관: Norhata S A
•Nov 05, 2016
helpfull
교육 기관: Conroy F
•Sep 22, 2017
Great course to improve critical thinking and analytical skills
교육 기관: Angela B
•Nov 28, 2017
VERY USEFUL AN EASY TO ACCESS
교육 기관: Sumit D
•Mar 26, 2018
A great introductory course on philosophy. It is designed and organized in a pretty scholarly manner which makes it accessible to everyone providing a clear and simple understanding of the subject. Nonetheless, I must say that this is a fairly short course, there is much more that could be added into it—such as thoughts of contemporary(20th century) philosophers. I highly recommend this to the newbies; it should provide them with an academic-like head start in the realm of philosophy.
교육 기관: Sergio A C
•Oct 20, 2016
good
교육 기관: Stephanie C
•Sep 24, 2017
excellent teachers, clear method, great involvment.
교육 기관: Jose G
•Jan 10, 2018
Really good information!
교육 기관: Vinay M
•Jun 04, 2018
This is a really engaging course that discussed several interesting old and recent questions in philosophy. One really great thing about it is that each week you have an option of doing one or both out of two different topics, based on your interest — and there's something for everyone. But the topics and presentation are so interesting that you'll probably do all of them anyway!
교육 기관: KaZ A
•Mar 14, 2018
Very enjoyable. Gave me a lot to think about regarding further pursuits in philosophy. Helped me to pinpoint the type of philosophy that I find most useful. Would love to have more exposure to Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, Nietzsche, Sartre, Brecht, science, humanist and existential philosophers.
교육 기관: Theo L
•May 16, 2018
Very insightful and
교육 기관: Christi M
•Feb 23, 2018
Excellent overview of some specializations within the field of philosophy. Summaries are presented in an engaging way
교육 기관: Altaf R
•Mar 06, 2018
I must say its a wonderfully helpful short course for beginners. The best thing about this course to my understanding is that:
Its made easy for all those who want to study philosophy
Its modules are well wittingly selected to make such an enticing introductory course for all those who have rather a cynical opinion about philosophy as science or subject
and the free access to those reading materials and websites
I enjoyed truly every bit and parts of the this introduction to philosophy by the institute for which I will be evergrateful.
교육 기관: Lucas R P
•Aug 30, 2015
Really informative and interesting course, learnt a lot and enjoyed it
교육 기관: Pranav K
•Sep 21, 2015
Quite challenging but workable.
교육 기관: Yasmin A H A
•Apr 15, 2017
I've enjoyed this course greatly, and look forward to delve further into philosophy. I loved all of the talks by all the lecturers, and found their follow-up videos to be particularly helpful. Unfortunately, that also meant that there was no forum to access and discuss the questions posed by the lectures with other people taking the course, which I believe would have helped to hone my argumentative skills, which I believe is necessary to have (and further develop and enhance), when learning about philosophy.
Thank you very much for this amazing course. If you could introduce more philosophy courses (particularly ones that are more advanced and in depth), that would be great!
교육 기관: Lan Q L
•Feb 13, 2017
Well prepared materials that provide simple, basic understanding of philosophy. Great effort from the team! Big thanks!
교육 기관: Omar A
•Feb 01, 2016
Good course.