Chevron Left
Back to Introduction to Philosophy

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.

Filter by:

351 - 375 of 2,120 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Germán K

Oct 23, 2019

Es un curso que me permitió conocer otra manera de entender filosofía. Con buenos profesores abriendo el juego a las preguntas. Me gustó transitar ese camino por el conocimiento.

Saludos para todos

By RISSER-MAROIX

Sep 24, 2015

Highly rated course.

For all people who think it is important to understand Life and for it to learn from nicer teachers and great philosophy trends. Thank you to Coursera and Edimburgh University.

By HILLELA P

Jun 22, 2020

Thank you for this interesting course! I particularly liked the questions asked (both practice questions and quiz). It makes us think critically and not just stop with understanding the concepts.

By nabha j

May 20, 2020

The professors of this course are exceptional! This course gives wonderful insights and encourages us to further explore the world of philosophy. I am very contented and happy I took this course.

By Ấn P Đ L

Oct 18, 2021

Give all my thanks to the professors in Univerity of Edinburgh. I didn't realize I like Philosophy this much until I got into this course. I will continue learning and reading about Philosophy.

By Leo T

Jul 22, 2020

This is a great course to start to learn about philosophy. It has truly made me think about many things and how my faith in God and the teaching of Jesus Christ is strengthened during the course

By Jaime A

Jul 17, 2020

Excelente. Presenta un abanico de problemas de la filosofía. Pensar en ellos lleva a múltiples cuestiones que aun deben ser pensadas. Felicitaciones al equipo de docentes por tan excelente labor

By Elena C H G

May 14, 2020

Clear, complete, rigorous, user friendly, open to different levels of engagement, great and wide extra materials and peer discussion, covers the Big Questions and the mains ways to focus them.

By Rafay T

Dec 8, 2022

Very informative and enjoyable. Pitched at the right level for beginners. Provided an appropriate level of challenge. Also plenty of further reading links available at the end of each module.

By ANA L M E

Jan 5, 2022

It is a great curse to beging in the area of philosophy, it shares a few of the major questions of philosophy from it´s origins from diverse point of views, and the professors are remarkable.

By Cynthia S

Apr 20, 2021

As some things can be explained by science but our thoughts and feelings are based on the individual and sometimes the answers we seek may never be answered and this course has proven same.

By Smailey A B

Feb 20, 2017

Os professores e os materiais de suporte são ótimos. O tema reflete exatamente o nome do curso, tratando-se de questões introdutórias à filosofia. Foi um tempo muito bem investido. Recomendo.

By Mahmood N

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 .

By Horacio G

Sep 4, 2023

Clear explanations presented in each video-lecture; highly appreciate the opportunity to have at least a general idea of such an important topics as you discuss in the course. Thanks a lot!

By Nuno G

Oct 12, 2020

I really enjoyed this course. Proper use of time in videos, very good references, accessible language, clarity speech, interesting topics, coherence, I'm excited to get deep in the subject.

By Enya F N

May 17, 2020

I feel so glad I have been able to finish! It hasn't been easy, but I have to say I loved this course, and I have recomended it to my friends, I feel so glad I had the opportunity to do it.

By Horacio M C

Feb 20, 2019

Excelente Curso, el nivel es mucho mejor de lo que pensaba, me sera muy util, soy docente de filosofía y me permite incrementar mis recursos filosóficos en mi práctica docente, felicidades.

By Jose R

Aug 29, 2015

Excellent introduction to the the discipline of philosophy. The professors are experts and very accessible in their presentation of complex ideas. I am very happy to have taken this course.

By Maria F T

Feb 14, 2017

This was a very good introduction. Many important philosophical concepts are explored with very well thought out examples, and the quizzes really make you reflect on what you have learned.

By Lorly P

Oct 22, 2016

it helps me a lot in my studies....

upon enrolling this online course it's a big help in my Philosophy subject here in my school. hope that you may continue to help more student like me.

By Ana M L C

Mar 18, 2024

Ha sido, increíble. Supercompleto y las explicaciones por parte del profesorado muy competentes. Adquieres bastante conocimiento y cantidad de enlaces externos, para ampliar conocimiento.

By Aparna R

Nov 18, 2020

The professors were excellent, especially those in Week 5 who spoke of time travel and free will. Overall, the course was wonderful and insightful and exceeded my expectations. Thank you!

By MARTHA J M B

Dec 19, 2022

Particularmente esta materia me hubiera gustado tenerla en español. Pero muy interesante el programa. Felicitaciones a todos los participantes que hacen posible esta plataforma.

Saludos.

By Dickson S

Feb 21, 2019

I´m pleased to conclude this magnificent course. Besides learnig so many new things, it also helped me to understand some hard philosophical approaches. I highly recommend it. Thank you.

By Enzo P B

Jul 17, 2020

Excelent course. The main difference in here is that we are not interested about learning The History of Philosophy, but we want to improve our vision about what is the act of Thinking.