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Introduction to Philosophy

PHIL101 | 3 Credits

Introduction to Philosophy is a first step towards understanding the world, knowledge, and existence as a whole. In this course, you will examine the history of Western thought — from Greek philosophy to the present — and dive into different philosophical topics.

Professor: Dr. G

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21 Day Average Completion
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About This Course

What You’ll Learn

The Introduction to Philosophy online course is critical in helping you step into the field of philosophical inquiry. After defining philosophy and identifying the major fields of philosophical study, our Intro to Philosophy course examines the history of Western thought, from the famous Greek philosophers up to the cutting-edge intellectuals of today.

  • Define and explain what philosophy is; describe the major branches of philosophical inquiry and their key questions.
  • Engage in the activity of philosophizing; present, analyze, and evaluate philosophical ideas in writing.
  • Discuss the main ideas of ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary philosophy.
  • Examine the approaches of major philosophers to metaphysical problems.
  • Analyze and evaluate the views of major philosophical thinkers on the nature of knowledge.
  • Analyze and evaluate the ethical theories of influential philosophers.
  • Analyze and evaluate the influential approaches to political philosophy.
  • Examine influential arguments regarding the existence of God.
  • Examine the major themes and arguments of feminist philosophy.
  • Analyze the key tenets of postcolonial thought in Africa, the Americas, and Asia.

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Course Details

PHIL101
Introduction to Philosophy
3 Credits

This course is a critical introduction to the discipline of philosophy. After defining philosophy and identifying the major fields of philosophical study, the course examines the history of Western intellectual thought, from the famous Greek philosophers up to the cutting-edge intellectuals of today. Along the way, the course delves into various thematic topics, including metaphysics, epistemology, free will and determinism, evil and the existence of God, personal identity, ethical values, and political philosophy. The course concludes with an analysis of different perspectives, including feminist philosophy and postcolonial thought.

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OOSL-0060

Flexible Schedule

21-day Average Course Completion

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Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to take Introduction to Philosophy.

Course Text 

The required eTextbook for this course is included with your course purchase at no additional cost.

 
  • Moore, Brooke Noel and Kenneth Bruder. Philosophy: The Power of Ideas, 11th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2023. ISBN: 9781264296118

Course Checkpoints

Introduction to Philosophy and Philosophical Reasoning

  • What Is Philosophy?
  • Philosophic Questions
  • Pressing or Fundamental
  • Misconceptions
  • Tool Kit
  • Divisions of Philosophy
  • The Benefits of Philosophy

The Pre-Socratics

  • The Milesians
  • Pythagoras
  • Heraclitus and Parmenides
  • Empedocles and Anaxagoras
  • The Atomists

Socrates and Plato

  • Socrates
  • Plato

Aristotle

  • What Is It to Be?
  • Actuality and Possibility
  • Essence and Existence
  • Ten Basic Categories
  • The Three Souls
  • Aristotle and The Theory of Forms
  • Aristotle's Theory of Knowledge
  • Logic

Hellenistic and Medieval Philosophy

  • Metaphysics in the Roman Empire
  • The Rise of Christianity
  • The Middle Ages and Aquinas

Early Modern Metaphysics and Epistemology

  • Descartes and Dualism
  • Hobbes and Materialism
  • The Alternate Views of Conway, Spinoza, and Leibniz
  • The Idealism of Locke and Berkeley

The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

  • David Hume
  • Immanuel Kant
  • The Nineteenth Century

The Twentieth Centuries: The Continental Tradition

  • Brief Historical Overview of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
  • Existentialism
  • Phenomenology
  • The Era of Suspicion

The Twentieth Century: The Pragmatic and Analytic Traditions

  • Pragmatism
  • Analytic Philosophy
  • Quine, Davidson, and Kripke
  • Ontology

Moral Philosophy

  • Skepticism, Relativism, and Subjectivism
  • Egoism
  • Hedonism
  • The Five Main Ethical Frameworks
  • The Early Greeks
  • Epicureanism and Stoicism
  • Christianizing Ethics
  • Hobbes and Hume
  • Kant
  • The Utilitarians
  • Friedrich Nietzsche

Political Philosophy

  • Plato and Aristotle
  • Natural Law Theory and Contractarian Theory
  • Two Other Contractarian Theorists
  • U.S. Constitutional Theory--Applied Philosophy
  • Classic Liberalism and Marxism

Philosophy and Belief in God

  • Two Christian Greats
  • Mysticism
  • Seventeenth Century Perspectives
  • Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Perspectives
  • More Recent Perspectives

Feminist Philosophy

  • The First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Waves
  • Analytic Feminist Philosophy
  • Continental Feminist Philosophy
  • Feminist Moral Theory
  • Sexism and Language
  • Feminist Epistemology
  • Two Contemporary American Feminist Philosophers
  • French Feminist Philosophy and Psychoanalytical Theory
  • Feminist Perspectives on Important Philosophers

Postcolonial Thought; "Philosophy and Disinformation"

  • Historical Background
  • Africa
  • The Americas
  • South Asia

Assignments & Grading 

Your score provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.

Assignments for this course include:

  • 15 Reflective Responses
  • 2 Essays
  • 3 Graded Exams

What You’ll Need 

  • A reliable computer or laptop
  • Stable internet connection
  • Web browser
  • Basic computer skills
  • Any required course materials

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How this course sets you up for success:

Introduction to Philosophy will drive you to examine the history of Western thought and shape your framework of thought. Whether you go on to work in the humanities or another field, these critical thinking skills can open doors to new possibilities.

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