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

4.7
stars
9,364 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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451 - 475 of 2,187 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Andrés A B

Sep 28, 2017

I loved the course, every topic was amazingly interesting, I loved the first week and the third week, both aspect moved me forward to learn more about those topics.

By Rosa M D A

Dec 19, 2023

Este curso es definitivamente perfecto, encontré lo que necesitaba aprender; gracias a los que lo Profesores donde tuve la oportunidad de lograr mi objetivo ❤️❤️

By vimesy

Nov 25, 2022

Absolutely fascinating, accessible even to a complete novice such as myself. truly appreciate that they also provide extra reading and resources to follow up with!

By Christian S

Aug 13, 2019

A very informative introduction to the field of philosophy, curated by enthusiastic lectures, who explain each topic in a nicely structured and accessible fashion.

By Odair C J

Mar 12, 2019

It is a really good introduction, focusing on the big questions and incentiving the students to think for themselves about these questions since the first lesson.

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By Christopher B

Jul 3, 2017

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to get an overview of major trends in philosophical thinking. Well presented resources.

By John J

May 3, 2022

A very interesting and current course; It helped me to remember some fundamental elements of the philosophy that I had forgotten. I am very pleased with this one.

By Ramon S

Sep 18, 2020

Excelente curso introductorio, me permitió acercarme a temas interesantes del apasionante mundo de la Filosofía. Felicitaciones a los profesores y la universidad.

By Krishna R

May 17, 2020

As the title suggests it really does introduce you you to a lot of interesting branches of philosophy, as well as a lot of philosophical thinkers.A great start!!!

By Phillip B

Oct 22, 2015

Fantastic introductory course to Philosophy. It really expands your thinking and methodologies relating to wisdom and knowledge. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you.

By Patrick M

May 4, 2020

I'm so glad that I committed to this course, and finished it. Very enlightening and a solid base to build upon. Thanks Cousera and The University of Edinburgh!

By Noura O

Nov 9, 2022

Very interesting

The course was very informative and engaging. I would recommend this course to others, who are looking to improve their knowledge in philosophy

By Orla D

Feb 6, 2021

Fantastic course, I knew nothing about philosophy going in but the lectures were presented smoothly and were easy to understand. I cannot recommend this enough.

By Pranshu B

Aug 6, 2020

This is an excellent course . I m from medical background from India and the education was not so open 20 years back; I finally got to do a course on philosophy

By Valeria V

Oct 27, 2018

Este curso lo recomendaría, la información es completa y entretenida.

A pesar de estudiar otra carrera "ING informática" pude comprender cada uno de los temas .

By Pascal K

Jun 12, 2020

I highly enjoyed this course and the variety of professors that each explained their view and topic related to philosophy. Will recommend this course to ohers!

By Maria T

May 12, 2020

A very interesting approach - presents both obvious and interesting, niche topics and problems of philosophy, making this course appealing to a broad audience.

By analia a

Nov 21, 2018

Muy buena introducción al pensamiento filosófico y además con ejemplos comunes para dar mejor entendimiento, deberían hacer cursos de cada corriente filosófica

By Sara B

Sep 20, 2015

An excellent though-provoking introduction to several branches of Philosophy. You can tell the instructors love what they do - it makes it easy to love it too.

By Gerald M

Mar 27, 2021

Professors are competent enough to teach every important aspect of philosophy. More power to this platform. Thank you for giving us free education. God bless!

By Khouloud A D

May 29, 2020

I can honestly say that this is one of thd best online courses I have taken so far. Thank you all for the huge effort you have made for the sake of knowledge.

By L.R. L

Dec 31, 2018

I've found this course to be really interesting and thought provoking. The instructors explain the materials with reasonable precision and with good examples.

By Leonardo A E L

Apr 2, 2016

Amazing course. I hope it can be extended to a more advanced level and I also hope the MOOC about philosophy and the sciences will be back soon. All the best

By Poonyanuch L

May 31, 2020

I really love all the topics that are introduced here. They are very different from what I've learnt in the past. Learning this course is truly open my mind.

By Azajul I N

Apr 5, 2020

This course is a Master of Philosophy. This online course is highly recommended for all the students who are interested in learning Philosophy. Just amazing.