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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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401 - 425 of 2,120 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By J S

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Aug 21, 2020

El curso describe una introducción a temas de gran importancia para la filosofía como lo es la filosofía de la mente, la filosofía del lenguaje, filosofía política entre otros.

By Daniel N

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Dec 18, 2018

The course is well designed to give a brief splash of topics related to philosophy. I enjoyed the system and all the professors were great and tried to be as clear as possible.

By Guillermo R

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Oct 31, 2018

Awesome introduction to philosophy and it's major concepts. Very thorough with great examples and a plethora of additional resources for further inquiry and study is provided.

By Pankaj A D

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Oct 6, 2016

This is absolutely fantastic course. Thank you very much for offering it! The course content is very good and there pointers to enormous amount of very enlightening literature!

By Nayottama P S

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Jul 30, 2020

This is an amazing course to gives general knowledge about philosophy and what they do in this subject. This course also allows me to grow an appetite for learning philosophy.

By Yana D

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Jun 4, 2020

I appreciated helpful handouts for most of the lectures. I enjoyed having a different lecturer for every discussion. Time travel discussion was my favorite part of the course!

By Xavier L

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Apr 20, 2020

An excellent primer into the types of issues philosophers tackle in the past, and present, hosted by a variety of lecturers with relevant expertise in their respective fields.

By Bruce B

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Dec 9, 2016

Excellent course and I must write that I am appalled that the forum has been so abused by some, that it has to be discontinued. This is a horrid manifestation of hatefulness.

By Tuleubekov A S

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Nov 28, 2020

This course was really wonderful for me! I liked all the Professors whose video lectures I listened very carefully, but I liked the most the video lectures by Suilin Lavelle.

By Andrew B

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Aug 24, 2017

The flexibility was greatly appreciated and I feel confident to make use of my own intellectual autonomy (nudge nudge) to find out more - would love to take a further course!

By Rahel R

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Aug 7, 2016

I mean, I'm only two weeks in and already there's so much to know and it's all so interesting so I think it's a completely worthwhile course (even though I'm only 2 weeks in)

By HERMENEGILDO S M

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Jun 22, 2023

Buenas noches.

El curso esta muy bien el único detalle es que viene en ingles quiero pensar que es de esa manera para desarrollarnos y buscar las alternativas de aprendizaje.

By Benjamín E V M

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Apr 23, 2019

La explicación y traducciones de los temas vistos a lo largo del curso son de grandísima calidad.

Es un gran curso para comenzar en esta hermosa carrera que es la filosofía.

By Lim M C

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Jun 24, 2016

This is a very good and interesting course. The instructors lecture the course from an easy way to understand. I hope that they will open an advanced course for this field.

By Shaik P

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May 18, 2021

Philosophy is the very very good subject and also very difficult subject.i love this philosophy subject.Thanks for recommended Coursera organisation in this opportunity .

By Sachin S

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Jun 7, 2020

It was a good course for everyone. All the subject matter were introduced briefly. But i would like if you can further deep. Learned the basics of philosophy through this.

By Said K G G

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Dec 26, 2019

Está sendo um ótimo curso. Estava procurando um curso que me introduzisse a filosofia e este me mostrou exatamente o que eu precisava saber pra começar meu estudo na área.

By Elsie C

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Mar 30, 2021

This was a great introductory course, with many different lecturers and experts. A good taste of some different aspects of philosophy and some really interesting content!

By IRADHATI Z

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Nov 2, 2020

it was interesting, I think it would applicable to my college life as an undergraduate law student and also my future career! Thank you to all the lecturers and Coursera!

By S.Shaistha S

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Aug 16, 2020

The course ... Introduction to philosophy is really good ...they are so many points that will be very useful to gain basic knowledge regarding philosophy ...

Thank you 😊

By Anh V L N

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Jul 14, 2020

Overall it is a great commencement with a snapshot in philosophy. The lecturers are user-friendly and understandable, and the materials given are thorough and exhaustive.

By Nosaybah G

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Dec 6, 2022

Excellent course, perfect for those who know nothing about philosophy but wish to. Each module is engaging, and the lectures are perfectly paced. Would highly recommend.

By francisco v g

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Jul 9, 2022

Cordial greeting to the team of professors and support. Impeccable professional work. Congratulations and thank you for democratizing knowledge for the good of humanity.

By Alba S C U

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Jul 7, 2020

I really enjoyed this course! Thank you so much professors for your knowledge, because now I better understand relevant philosophical debates and ways to address them.

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By Małgorzata K

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Jun 8, 2020

The course gives the great opportunity to broaden the horizon, study at one of the best universities in the world and improve English. Thak you! It was really nice time.