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

4.7
stars
9,085 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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276 - 300 of 2,120 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Ani P A

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May 28, 2020

I had fun taking the course! The instructors had an excellent way of explaining their material in a way that is easy to understand. I love how the syllabus covers many areas of Philosophy and it helped give me ideas on which area to explore next.

By John R

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Sep 25, 2015

This was a very interesting course. Not what I was expecting when I enrolled, but I enjoyed it completely. I especially liked the lesson on the logical possibility of time travel. This was my first Coursera course but I hope to find more courses.

By Kay V

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Nov 11, 2020

It was a GREAT course. I learn a lot, but the thing that I like the most is that the teachers make me question a lot of things and I all the things that I learn are things that I can practice in my everyday life.

Thanks a lot to all the teachers!

By Llewelyn H

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Oct 16, 2018

I want to thank you for the scholarship and for allowing me to learn more, I want to continue studying and thanks to you I've learned a lot of new things. From Mexico, thank you very much, you peolple have opened new horizons for me and my mind.

By karanjit s

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Jan 19, 2017

Very good introduction to philosophy. The professors share simple and effective analogies to explain philosophical concepts. The concepts are also woven into interesting topics that would make one think. Highly recommend this course to everyone.

By Liau C Z

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May 14, 2020

Wonderful course. I have attempted and completed numerous online courses but this course stands out. Lecturers introduce interesting concepts and encourage creative thinking. Kudos to the University of Edinburgh for producing wonderful content.

By Juan P I R

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Mar 15, 2021

It’s a great opportunity to learn more about philosophy, philosophers and to enjoy the answers to the questions that probably you have make a couple of times and didn’t imagine how could be answered. It was a great journey that I recommend it.

By Hanna I

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Jun 25, 2020

As brief as an introduction should be, however, at the same time covering all the main philosophic problems. I want to thank all the tutors for this wonderful course, it was a great pleasure to spend those 5 weeks in your brilliant company :)

By Elián B

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Oct 1, 2015

Is for me the greatest course of philosophy I ever had, specially because of a really bad "teacher" that I just don't know how can he be teaching, but well, had been my first experience with a MOOC and couldn't be better I suppose. Greetings!

By José F C H

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Nov 1, 2022

creo que el curso de introducción a la Filosofia tiene una perspectiva innovadora al acercar esta ciencia a un contexto cercano al individuo y al desarrollar las competencias cognitivas con temas interesantes y diferentes a los tradicionales

By Elias T

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Jan 13, 2019

Muy práctico, me sorprendió positivamente que no es un curso de biografías de filósofos sino sobre pensamiento filosófico acerca de temas sumamente interesantes.

Gracias por tenerlo y felicidades a los ponentes.

Lo recomendaré en cada ocasión.

By Muaz J

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May 14, 2017

Fantastic introductory course on Philosophy, with lot of resources and links. I loved it and the instructors are really lucid in their exposition. I hope Edinburgh comes up with more courses, especially Philosophy of Social Science/Economics

By Caro S

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Jul 25, 2020

Excelente curso introductorio, me costó un poco porque no sé inglés y muchas declaraciones me parecieron ambiguas o majaderas, pero lo atribuyo a mi falta de comprensión, ya que no es el área a la que me dedico, aún así fue muy beneficioso.

By Valerie T

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Apr 15, 2020

Great course to start learning about philosophy as a field of study! The lectures every week cover a different area of philosophy so I got a flavour of each, which I think is useful for someone just starting out and trying to find out more.

By William P

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Sep 8, 2016

Great general introduction to Philosophy. I suggest taking this philosophy course before any others because it puts a lot into perspective and it gives you a good idea of what path to take in your personal studies in philosophy and beyond.

By Skyraven

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Mar 13, 2021

It sparked my interest in studying philosophy, with easy-to-comprehend courses and interesting topics. I also learnt the importance of thinking philosophically in life. An excellent introduction into the world of philosophy for beginners.

By Iman M

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Feb 13, 2021

I loved that there were two options for what we wanted to learn for most weeks in the course, it made it really interesting. All of the videos provided really good explanations and helpful examples. Overall, I think it was a great course!

By Pedro M

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Jan 10, 2021

Clear and concise information. The lecturers were excellent & easy to follow. The amount of additional information via links was very good and required much more investment in time than estimated in the weekly workloads but were worth it.

By Jayash R M

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Feb 12, 2017

A short course but introduces several areas of Philosophy. Every week there are new concepts introduced and its very interesting to listen to the teachers. Thank you University of Edinburgh, the teachers and Coursera for this good course.

By Dean M

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Dec 18, 2020

Really enjoyed and valued this introductory course. It was challenging and I found some of the topics difficult but I'm really glad I stuck with them. This was a great first step in my journey with Philosophy and I would like to do more.

By Sohail N K

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Jun 8, 2017

An excellent course to make sense of philosophy... and I really loved the possibility of time travel... even though it was only an intellectual possibility ... kudos to the faculty to make it an interesting experience... thanks everyone.

By Candy L

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Oct 12, 2016

for a ESL student, its really a challenge for me, but i am glad i have passed it, thank you all--the teachers, and the mentors, what an experience! since this is my first course, i'll continue my 2nd, and 3rd course, good luck to you!

By Diego M D

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Apr 6, 2021

Thoroughly enjoyed all the lectures and the content is really varied and well structured. It certainly gives you a very good overview of what Philosophy is and what it does, what it looks at and the questions we have raised over time

By Aarya M

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Jan 22, 2021

The course was absolutely riveting. It inculcates thought about every aspect of our existence while simultaneously informing us of fascinating philosophical and physical concepts. The instructors executed their lessons masterfully :)

By Parisa G

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Nov 17, 2020

It was a wonderful course. The professors amazingly, with a clear, simple language and using multiple examples, have introduced and explained some core issues in philosophy. I am so glad I had the opportunity to complete this course.