Chevron Left
Back to Introduction to Philosophy

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

4.7
stars
9,091 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.

IH

Feb 21, 2023

I already had a Bachelor's in Philosophy degree. But, this course has the potential to comprehensively elaborate on the aspects that were lacking and that I was unable to comprehend in a unique way.

Filter by:

1826 - 1850 of 2,120 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Saurav P

Apr 13, 2020

Great introduction to a field i was quite clueless about but always fascinated with. Its given me a different perspective with which i can look at the world around me

By 杨洋

Feb 27, 2020

It is a brief and useful class for learning the most basic yet also most important topics in philosophy area. And it also helps develop the critical way of thinking.

By stephen l

Jun 10, 2017

a good clear intro to the subject. Buy the book too, but may be not in kindle format. Paper format is better as flipping back and marking is easier for Philosophy.

By Sidney C

Aug 17, 2015

I am compelled to maintain interest in the lectures and I have so far completed the second week. I think it is a good class and hope that it can only get better.

By Colleen M

Aug 31, 2015

A very good introduction to some of the fundamental and important ideas in philosophy, delivered in an engaging and straightforward fashion. Highly recommended.

By Timotheus K

May 7, 2019

This course is structured around relevant contemporary topics as opposed to the history of philosophy. I truly appreciated the practical syllabus of the course.

By Ong S Y

Jun 4, 2020

I think that this is a very good introductory course. Does not delve too deep, but deep enough to learn something and grasp some basics. Loved Suilin's videos.

By Kjartan I A

Apr 20, 2020

I like how I have unfluence over what areas to explore and I wasn't railroaded into a specific path just as the course explains about free will. Very fitting.

By Ritwik C

May 17, 2020

It's a great starter course for philosophy enthusiasts, the faculty does a great job in explaining the fundamental concepts of different areas of philosophy.

By Chantel J

Mar 7, 2018

This course is very interesting and insightful, it quite amazing to see the different ways Philosophy is looked at, and the tutorials are very good as well.

By Abril X

Jun 22, 2020

I learned so much from this course. Now, I have a completely different perspective. Personally, I really enjoyed "Do We Have Free Will and Does It Matter?"

By JK

Sep 10, 2023

I really liked the framework of the course. The teaching aspects were wonderful and I am definitely coming back for more educational content in coursera.

By Pedro Z

Aug 5, 2020

To learn how to think and how to hold arguments is a good beginning. But I prefer here and now philosphy (i.e. philosphy with high impact in real life).

By Nathalie F S

May 30, 2018

Pretty good course. The beginning lectures were good, but then they got boring, but the last three lectures definitely peaked my interest in philosophy.

By Swaraagni

Dec 13, 2015

'Introduction to Philosophy' is very insightful. The fundamentals of philosophy is explained in a way which is so easy to understand. Very good program.

By Steven K

Aug 18, 2015

It was very fun and educational, some of the people where a little hard to understand but I liked the fun approach to learning and the material covered!

By matashiu f

Jan 21, 2023

le contenu est très intéressante juste que c'est uniquement en anglais. je souhaite qu'on fasse une traduction du même cour dans la langue française .

By Jorge A H G

Nov 12, 2017

Muy buen curso, pero esta muy mal el hecho de que te digan que esta en español y algunas partes, entre ellas el trabajo final sean únicamente en inglés

By Eshraful P

Aug 10, 2020

This is an excellent programme for students who is interested for online learning. I enjoyed this programme although this is my first online course.

By Sneha P

May 27, 2020

It is very informative course which includes so many interesting topics. I liked the last week of this course especially the part of 'time travel'.

By Evelien M

Aug 13, 2017

I found this course really interesting, learn full and it provided me with a broad knowledge about several general important aspects of Philosophy.

By David B

May 20, 2021

An excellent, informative, enjoyable and challenging course. I look forward to studying more philosophy courses from The University of Edinburgh.

By Anas F I

Jun 30, 2020

this is a good start for anyone interested in philosophy, but it is unfortunately too short and does not cover so much. otherwise, great course!

By Pati10

Sep 24, 2018

Very good course - I think there could be more surnames, more facts, dates and titles, but it was okay. Thank you and I am waiting for more.

By Zack E

Mar 20, 2018

Covered a variety of important philosophical topics with clear steps and consistent information directly reflected in quizzes and templates.