Philosophy

Introduction to Philosophy

XUD6ZZRK · 13 modules

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to philosophy, guiding students from foundational skills in critical thinking and argumentation through the major historical periods, core branches, and contemporary debates that define the discipline. Students will explore how philosophical inquiry developed across diverse world traditions, examine the classical roots of Western philosophy, and build fluency in logic, metaphysics, epistemology, and value theory. The course then moves into applied domains—ethics, politics, and contemporary social theory—so that students see how philosophical tools illuminate real-world moral, political, and cultural questions.\n\nDesigned as a primary textbook replacement, each chapter provides in-depth readings, worked examples of philosophical reasoning, and opportunities to practice constructing and evaluating arguments. By the end of the course, students will not only understand key philosophical positions and their historical development but will be equipped to analyze arguments critically, write clear philosophical prose, and apply philosophical frameworks to contemporary ethical and political problems.\n\nThis course is valuable for students in any discipline who want to sharpen their reasoning skills, engage thoughtfully with enduring human questions, and understand the intellectual foundations underlying law, science, politics, and ethics. The capstone module challenges students to integrate historical, logical, metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical tools to analyze a complex real-world case.

Prerequisites

No prior coursework in philosophy is required. Students should have basic college-level reading comprehension and writing skills.

Module Outline

13 modules

Introduction to Philosophy
Introduces the definition, purpose, and major branches of philosophy, and explores why philosophical questions matter.
Critical Thinking, Research, Reading, and Writing
Builds foundational skills for identifying arguments, conducting philosophical research, reading primary texts, and writing philosophical essays.
The Early History of Philosophy around the World
Surveys the origins of philosophical thought in ancient China, India, Africa, and the Near East prior to and alongside classical Greek philosophy.
The Emergence of Classical Philosophy
Examines the rise of classical Greek philosophy through the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Logic and Reasoning
Covers formal and informal logic, argument structure, deductive and inductive reasoning, and common fallacies.
Metaphysics: The Study of Reality
Explores fundamental questions about the nature of reality, existence, causation, free will, and personal identity.
Epistemology
Investigates theories of knowledge, belief, justification, skepticism, and truth.
Value Theory: What Makes Things Good?
Introduces axiology, aesthetics, and theories of value underlying ethical and political philosophy.
Normative Moral Theory
Presents and compares major ethical frameworks including consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, and care ethics.
Applied Ethics
Applies normative ethical theories to contemporary moral issues such as bioethics, environmental ethics, and technology.
Political Philosophy
Explores theories of justice, authority, rights, liberty, and the legitimacy of the state from classical to modern thinkers.
Contemporary Philosophies and Social Theories
Surveys 20th and 21st century philosophical movements including existentialism, feminism, postmodernism, and critical theory.
Capstone: Integrated Philosophical Analysis of a Contemporary Case
Students synthesize logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy to construct an original, well-defended analysis of a novel, complex real-world issue.

Philosophy

Introduction to Philosophy

XUD6ZZRK · 13 modules

Prerequisites

No prior coursework in philosophy is required. Students should have basic college-level reading comprehension and writing skills.

Module Outline

13 modules

Introduction to Philosophy
Introduces the definition, purpose, and major branches of philosophy, and explores why philosophical questions matter.
Critical Thinking, Research, Reading, and Writing
Builds foundational skills for identifying arguments, conducting philosophical research, reading primary texts, and writing philosophical essays.
The Early History of Philosophy around the World
Surveys the origins of philosophical thought in ancient China, India, Africa, and the Near East prior to and alongside classical Greek philosophy.
The Emergence of Classical Philosophy
Examines the rise of classical Greek philosophy through the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Logic and Reasoning
Covers formal and informal logic, argument structure, deductive and inductive reasoning, and common fallacies.
Metaphysics: The Study of Reality
Explores fundamental questions about the nature of reality, existence, causation, free will, and personal identity.
Epistemology
Investigates theories of knowledge, belief, justification, skepticism, and truth.
Value Theory: What Makes Things Good?
Introduces axiology, aesthetics, and theories of value underlying ethical and political philosophy.
Normative Moral Theory
Presents and compares major ethical frameworks including consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, and care ethics.
Applied Ethics
Applies normative ethical theories to contemporary moral issues such as bioethics, environmental ethics, and technology.
Political Philosophy
Explores theories of justice, authority, rights, liberty, and the legitimacy of the state from classical to modern thinkers.
Contemporary Philosophies and Social Theories
Surveys 20th and 21st century philosophical movements including existentialism, feminism, postmodernism, and critical theory.
Capstone: Integrated Philosophical Analysis of a Contemporary Case
Students synthesize logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy to construct an original, well-defended analysis of a novel, complex real-world issue.