Chevron Left
Back to Introduction to Philosophy

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.

Filter by:

526 - 550 of 2,187 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Alexander B

•

Feb 17, 2022

This Course the needs i wished to acquire.I recommend this course to anyone willing to expand their horizon and scope of thought intellectually

By eli e

•

Aug 9, 2017

Excellent program to introduce several contemporary themes of philosophy, with a broad perspective but at the same time accessible and rigorous.

By Hamed K

•

Dec 28, 2020

Good materials to obtain some familiarity with basic discussions in Philosophy. Specially the Determinism vs. Libertarianism topic outstanding.

By ARASH S S

•

Dec 2, 2020

As a scientist without any experience in Modern philosophy, it was really a helpful course, helping me refresh my mind and it's way of thinking

By rajiv g

•

Aug 25, 2020

Highly Informative, Clear Every General Aspect of Philosophy, Well-structured and hassle-free ! Everyone involved here deserve serious respect!

By Phil W

•

Jul 11, 2019

A very good introduction. It gave me a good overview of the range of the subject and allowed me to see where I want to go with my studies next.

By Patrick K

•

Jan 11, 2016

Great presentation of the history of philosophical thinking with a focus on how to find your way through competing and contradictory arguments.

By Alax K J

•

Sep 18, 2015

I am learning a lot in the course and it's kind of interesting seeing the logic behind how we think, what we think, and how we perceive others.

By Muhammad i z

•

Nov 1, 2022

The good starting point to know about what philosophy is and several cases in philosophy. Great course, thanks Coursera and Univ Of Edinburgh!

By Sudipto P

•

Jul 4, 2020

One of the best course that I have seen till now...very helpful and knowledgeable experience..I recommend everyone please enroll this course..

By Pavlo S

•

Jun 28, 2020

English is not my first language. Nor a second one. This course was interesting but rather challenging to understand some bits here and there.

By Tamia B M

•

Aug 3, 2016

Great for Philosophy beginners, but it does require a lot a alone reflection in order to apprehend the concepts. Give it an enthusiastic shot.

By Henrique N

•

Jun 19, 2016

A good introduction to philosophy. Also a life changing experience to start think the whys of everything you do. I recommend this to everyone.

By Sadie P

•

Feb 15, 2016

This course is excellent! The instructors are very interesting, the topics covered are fun to learn, and the course format is very manageable.

By Daniel V

•

Oct 26, 2015

After years of technical readings, this course was a breath of fresh air for me.

I absolutely loved all the subjects that this course offered!

By Jewel S

•

Jun 20, 2020

A very great and engaging course. The professors and lecturers connected effectively with us, students. Highly recommended! Thanks, Coursera!

By Maruf L

•

Jul 23, 2019

I have really enjoyed this course and learnt a lot of stuff.. I really appreciate the guys, and thanks for putting this introduction together

By Dinesh K

•

Oct 23, 2017

Beautiful thought provoking course that introduces several topics in philosophy. Highly recommended for people beginning to learn philosophy.

By Andrés J R P

•

Jul 13, 2024

Abriendo mi mente frente a cosas que se daba por sentado, pero las podemos cuestionar y encontrar un significado distinto a lo establecido.

By XiuWen B

•

Jun 25, 2016

very interesting course, it provides several question and relative theory in history. And it would make you to think. So i like this course.

By Thomas J

•

Jan 18, 2018

I really enjoyed this course. It gives a good basic insight in philosophical thinking and the main topics. Good basis for further learning.

By Edwin G

•

Feb 9, 2021

Excelente curso y con estos conocimientos me ayudan a ver las cosas con otro punto de vista.

Gracias por todo, muchos éxitos y bendiciones.

By Oscar P T

•

Aug 10, 2020

Excelente curso, muy útil para quienes quieren conocer un poco más la filosofía.

Además de que presentan problemas actuales e interesantes.

By Fernanda B

•

Jul 14, 2020

Great course, helped me better understand several philosophical concepts. Easy to understand, great teachers, awesome reading. I loved it!

By Dr V K

•

May 5, 2020

It was my first course on philosophy and I loved the course instructors. The handouts and other open source material was very informative.