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

4.7
stars
9,478 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 2, 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.

AR

Jul 6, 2017

I found this course incredibly stimulating. A wonderfully structured introduction to European philosophy. All modules well presented. How lucky we are to have learning like this at our fingertips.

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176 - 200 of 2,223 Reviews for Introduction to Philosophy

By Ayesha H

Sep 28, 2019

This was indeed a brilliant course that provided in-depth analysis on various philosophical problems. As I will be taking my philosophy major classes in a month, this course has proven to be immensely beneficial for elucidating on the basics of philosophy. The skills that i had learned through this course will definitely be a handy for my classes .

By Pranav M

Jul 22, 2020

Being a complete novice in the field of Philosophy, this course provided a concise and intensive introduction about the different constituents of Philosophy. Taking up this course made me a better person. I would like to thank the concerned faculty members at the University of Edinburgh and Coursera for making this course available for the masses.

By Rafael C

Jun 10, 2018

This course provides users with basic concepts about Philosophy, and it introduces the (typical) questions that are discussed by different philosophers and related sub-fields in philosophy. As an introductory course, it focuses on giving learners a "big picture". I would recommend this course for learners who have little or no basis of philosophy.

By Agnieszka H K

Sep 6, 2020

In this course there are a lot of ways we can work out our own way of thinking about world. I am very happy that I could be on that course. I have learned not straight about history of philosophy, but about: how to work out way of thinking. I recommend those lessons to everyone, who want distance oneself from usual way of thinking. Thank You!

By Maria E R

Jan 11, 2021

Definitely worth taking and I honestly recommending taking the time to check, at least some of, the bibliography the professors indicate for each topic. I'm a physicist and felt like going deeper into philosophy after taking this introductory course.

Thanks to all people at the University Edinburgh involved on making this online course possible.

By John B

Nov 27, 2020

Extremely interesting! I really liked the format of giving a short intro to the basics of philosophy and then going into example questions instead of a survey of the history of philosophy. Personally, I did all the modules instead of just choosing one per week. I didn't always agree with the arguments, but found them fascinating. Nice job!

By James M

Oct 31, 2020

This course was a wonderful introduction to what philosophy is. The lectures and notes were excellent. I appreciated the numerous assessment sprinkled throughout the videos and the review assessments were helpful. I have an understanding of what philosophy is and I plan on pursuing more philosophical studies in specific topics. Thank you.

By Sharmeishtha S

Feb 21, 2020

I absolutely love the balanced approach to so many areas of philosophy in such a short course. The reading lists are pretty comprehensive so we can read up on topics we love. I wish we had looked at Calvinism and the debate around free will and its consequences in a little more depth. Nevertheless, glad to have been born in the time of MOOCs.

By Suvajanee A

May 31, 2020

As for those who interested in this course, you should try. All the topics are very complicated to understand and you need to really think and really try to think again and again to understand the concepts. For me, some topics are so complicated that I have no idea how someone can come up with it, but still, it is an enjoyable course anyway.

By Irshan A A S

Dec 31, 2015

So far this course has been very very instrumental in my learning. I still feel it should be divided in shorter videos of max 5 minutes each. that is what makes an online Mooc special i.e classes of hours are not forced into you. In anycase, this course was mostly fit for being a well designed and defined MOOC and worth a take by everyone !!

By Helena A

Mar 12, 2021

Thank you for the opportunity to study this amazing, interesting and thought-provoking course! I had never even thought about the subject before, thinking it was for genius boffins only. The lectures and notes were easy to follow and understand, although I had to read over them quite a few times to "get it". Now I am keen to study more!

By Annie W

Aug 26, 2015

Excellent course, interesting topics, the instructors all teach in a clear but professional way. Thank you Professor Richmond for spending so much time helping us on the discussion boards! In the future, I would love it if there was more recommended reading, and not just strictly related to the topics in the lectures. Thank you very much!

By Adrián M M

Apr 4, 2024

A course meant for everyone who is interested in getting on the path of philosophy. If you already have a strong base of knowledge, this course will be as easy as pie. Each tutor, despite having their own way of explaining things, always give examples about the explained topics, which will result in a better understanding of each module.

By Catherine M

Dec 22, 2023

A thorough approach to what philosophy is about, also showing how we already practice philosophy in many areas of our lives. The various topics help awaken an appetite for discussion while introducing us to some of the greatest philosophers. I appreciated every week of this too short of a course thanks to the quality of the professors.

By sherri W

Aug 22, 2021

All of the instructors were knowledgeable and explained the subject matter in easy to understand ways. It has been a long time since I took any courses outside of my career, so there was a bit of adjusting on my part to do. Very happy that I took this course, already working on another! I highly recommend Introduction to Philosophy!

By Lisbeth K

Mar 12, 2018

A great introduction to philosophy. Enthusiastic teachers, and the class overall certainly creates much interest in going further. The classes keeps you on your toes, the quizzes and tests are just the right level of challenging. I learned so much, and most of all, lost my fear of philosophy studies! And, I loved the Time Travel part!

By M. C O

May 6, 2020

The content of this course is wide-ranging, clear and well-structured; hence I would definitely recommend it to my colleagues.

I would rate the performances of every Professor as excellent; they have definitely made me quite easy, a first approach to Philosophy.

Thanks to the University of Edinburg and congratulations on this course

By Michaela M

Nov 22, 2015

I am studying Philosophy at university next year and wanted to have a idea as to what it would be like. This course was perfect and gave me a taster of the vast number of fields included in Philosophy. It was interesting and challenging I would definitely suggest it to anyone, the course really gives you some things to think about!

By Oliver R

Oct 11, 2020

The fact that each topic is explored by a different philosopher makes it a truly enriching way of looking at the questions and answers posed. Each topic pertains to a whole field of study in itself, for which abundant reference materials are provided. All in all a very accurate and well executed overview of philosophical problems.

By Eugene I C

Jan 8, 2025

This was a challenging course to complete, however the presentation of the material by the presenters was carefully executed for introductory students to the thinking processes of philosophers. It has given me much knowledge and food for thought to be continued in the future. Good course and will recommend to my English students.

By Arnesh N

Aug 15, 2020

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time learning while studying and going through the wonderfully curated lessons! The videos are very well structured, with practice exercises, and links to further readings. I have always been encouraged to know more, to read more, to question. I would love to come back again for more Coursera courses.

By Carlos G

Jul 3, 2020

Um curso excelente.Os professores são excepcionais. Pude obter um aprendizado bastante profícuo e animador compreendo que será til em minha profissão de professor e em minha vida pessoal. Muiot obrigado por tudo. deixo meu abraço fraternal e considero o curso justo e perfeito....Gratidão e saúde.

Carlos Alberto Otranto Gontijo .'.

By Shafiqul I

Apr 7, 2021

Philosophy has remained a personal favorite of mine! I am really amazed, every time I revisit my studies of philosophy, I find new perspectives and vantage points. I think everyone needs to know the basics of philosophy, and that could have changed the world a lot; for the word ‘conviction’ would have lost all its strength! 😁

By Ramlal S

Jan 27, 2019

This is a great introductory course to Philosophy. The course covers very important aspects of Philosophy in a succinct manner and sets the foundation to explore any topic in detail later. Overall great experience !! This is exactly how an introductory course should be. Thank you Coursera, thank you University of Edinburgh !!