Name: Introduction to Philosophy
Brand: The University of Edinburgh
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 4.7 (2280 reviews)

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

4.7

stars

9,690 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. This course is also available with captions in Chinese: https://www.coursera.org/learn/zhexue-daolun Learners can apply for Financial Aid directly with Coursera to assist with the cost of accessing the full course and gaining a certificate for successfully completing the course....

Top reviews

Feb 4, 2017

Actually I have enjoyed the course . I have learned about the problems were asked by previous philosophers and about how to think correctly by analyzing the prefaces to get logical results .

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!

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2251 - 2275 of 2,279 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Ankur D

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May 9, 2022

vbnm

By Samarpita D

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Sep 26, 2020

Good

By Aman G

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Jul 10, 2020

By Faisal A

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Dec 14, 2020

I did not get my free certificate? Before i enrolled I think it mentioned a free certificate from a cretin time to time. Though, I finished everything expect the peer review so after I finished will I get it?

By FRANCISCO E M L

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Dec 21, 2020

No es lo que esperaba, más que una introducción a la filosofía es sobre temas concretos de la filosofía de las ciencias.

By Kenneth M

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Dec 8, 2015

Almost totally ignores the ancients. A skewed view of philosophy from an enlightenment perspective.

By Gareth D

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Aug 31, 2015

It seems I have failed at week three without having to ask for the answers for three questions.

By William H M P

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Aug 21, 2015

Sorry, but of no real use except to people totally

By Aytac A

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Nov 27, 2020

Too many information in one week.

By Srinath R

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Jun 9, 2020

Professor reads seeing notes

By GLORIAELSA D Y F

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Jan 14, 2025

no aplica para mi carrera

By soghra R

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Jun 3, 2024

was not that intriguing

By Lisa S

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Jun 20, 2016

Propaganda

By Zlatica S H

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Sep 26, 2023

This is not an introductory course to philosophy. After week two I started getting lost and wondering what the purpose was, what I was goin gto learn. Nothing!. I felt a lot of theories discussed in the course came down to a jumble of words, hard to make sense and purpuse of. Especially the discussion of time travel. That I made it through is only a testament to my stuborness. But if you like mincing words and arguing without a specific purpose, you may enjoy this coursre.

By Alya

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May 4, 2022

Explanations are lacking. Quality of the lectures are quite awful. Honestly, I have not understood a single thing and im on week 2. I have other tabs open looking up defenitions and rereading the scripts multiple times. Anyway, fighting through :)..

By Joaquin E S

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Jul 5, 2022

Watching the first-ever video of the course was really a turn off. I was so excited in learning Philosophy but the instructor wasn't really engaging and was overall boring (sorry for the language).