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Introduction to Philosophy
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 19 hours
  • Course by The University of Edinburgh
  • Offered by

About

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.

Modules

Lesson 1

    • 2 Videos
    • 3 Readings
Show info about module content

2 Videos

  • Introduction: What is Philosophy?
  • Philosophy: Difficult, Important and Everywhere

3 Readings

  • About this Course
  • Module: What is Philosophy?
  • Optional Reading

Lesson 2

    • 2 Videos
Show info about module content

2 Videos

  • Philosophy: How Do We Do It?
  • Is There A 'Right Way' To Think About Things?

Review

    • 2 Assignment
Show info about module content

2 Assignment

  • Practice: What is Philosophy?
  • What is Philosophy?

Lesson 1

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

2 Videos

  • The Status of Morality
  • Objectivism, Relativism and Emotivism

1 Readings

  • Module: Morality: Objective, Emotive or Relative?

Lesson 2

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice: Morality: Objective, Relative or Emotive?

2 Videos

  • Objections to Objectivism, Relativism and Emotivism
  • Further Discussion

@Edinburgh

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh

Lesson 1

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

3 Videos

  • The Basic Constituents of Knowledge
  • The Classical Account of Knowledge and the Gettier Problem
  • Do We Have Any Knowledge?

1 Readings

  • Module: What is Knowledge? And Do We Have Any?

Lesson 2

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice: What is Knowledge? And Do We Have Any?

2 Videos

  • Further Discussion 1
  • Further Discussion 2

@Edinburgh

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh

Review option 1

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Morality: Objective, Relative or Emotive?

Review option 2

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • What is Knowledge? And Do We Have Any?

Lesson 1

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

3 Videos

  • Do You Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?
  • The Grounds of Political Obligation
  • Gratitude and Benefit

1 Readings

  • Module: Do We Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?

Lesson 2

    • 4 Videos
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4 Videos

  • Consent
  • Fairness
  • What if the Problem Can't Be Solved?
  • Summary

Review

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Practice: Do We Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?

@Edinburgh

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh

Lesson 1

    • 5 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

5 Videos

  • Introduction: Hume on Testimony and Miracles
  • Reid's Challenge to Hume
  • Reid's Argument
  • Kant, the Enlightenment and Intellectual Autonomy
  • The Value of Intellectual Autonomy

1 Readings

  • Module: Should You Believe What You Hear?

Review

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice: Should You Believe What You Hear?

@Edinburgh

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh

Review option 1

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Do We Have an Obligation to Obey the Law?

Review option 2

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Should You Believe What You Hear?

Lesson 1

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

3 Videos

  • Descartes' Substance Dualism Theory of the Mind
  • Physicalism: Identity Theory and Functionalism
  • Functionalism and What Mental States Do

1 Readings

  • Module: Mind, Brains and Computers

Lesson 2

    • 4 Videos
Show info about module content

4 Videos

  • Functionalism and Functional Complexity
  • Minds vs. Machines: The Turing Test and the Chinese Room
  • Minds vs. Machines: Problems for the Computational View of the Mind
  • Further Discussion

Review

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice: Minds, Brains and Computers

@Edinburgh

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh

Lesson 1

    • 7 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

7 Videos

  • The Aim of Science: Saving the Phenomena vs. Truth
  • Saving the Phenomena? Ptolemeic Astronomy
  • Truth? Galileo and Copernican Astronomy
  • Scientific Realism and the No Miracles Argument
  • Scientific Anti-Realism: Constructive Empiricism
  • Realist Rejoinders: Inference to the Best Explanation
  • Concluding Summary

1 Readings

  • Module: Are Scientific Theories True?

Review

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice: Are Scientific Theories True?

@Edinburgh

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh

Review option 1

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Minds, Brains and Computers

Review option 2

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Are Scientific Theories True?

Lesson 1

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

2 Videos

  • What is Determinism?
  • Libertarianism

1 Readings

  • Module: Do We Have Free Will? Does it Matter?

Lesson 2

    • 3 Videos
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3 Videos

  • Compatibilism
  • Hard Determinism
  • Summary

Review

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice: Do We Have Free Will and Does It Matter?

@Edinburgh

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh

Lesson 1

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

3 Videos

  • What Might Time Travel Be Anyway?
  • Grandfather Paradoxes
  • Two Senses of Change

1 Readings

  • Module: Time Travel and Philosophy

Lesson 2

    • 3 Videos
Show info about module content

3 Videos

  • Causal Loops
  • Where Next?
  • Further Discussions

Review

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice: Time Travel and Philosophy

@Edinburgh

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Related work by Philosophy staff at the University of Edinburgh

Review option 1

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Do We Have Free Will and Does It Matter?

Review option 2

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Time Travel and Philosophy

Peer review assignment

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
Show info about module content

1 Peer Review

  • Peer Review

1 Readings

  • Post-Course Survey

Auto Summary

Discover the fascinating world of contemporary philosophy with this introductory course led by the University of Edinburgh's Eidyn research centre. Explore key areas such as epistemology, philosophy of science, mind, political and moral philosophy, and metaphysics through engaging modules presented by expert philosophers. This foundation-level course, available on Coursera, spans 1140 minutes and offers a starter subscription option. Ideal for anyone curious about philosophical questions and seeking a comprehensive yet accessible overview.

Dr. Dave Ward
Instructors

Dr. Dave Ward

Professor Duncan Pritchard
Instructors

Professor Duncan Pritchard

Professor Michela Massimi
Instructors

Professor Michela Massimi

Dr. Suilin Lavelle
Instructors

Dr. Suilin Lavelle

Dr. Matthew Chrisman
Instructors

Dr. Matthew Chrisman

Dr. Allan Hazlett
Instructors

Dr. Allan Hazlett

Dr. Alasdair Richmond
Instructors

Dr. Alasdair Richmond

Guy Fletcher
Instructors

Guy Fletcher

Elinor Mason
Instructors

Elinor Mason