Introduction to Philosophy
God, Knowledge and Consciousness
Heads up! This course may be archived and/or unavailable.
This philosophy course has two goals. The first goal is to introduce you to the things that philosophers think about. We will look at some perennial philosophical problems:
Is there a God?
What is knowledge, and how do we get it?
What is the place of our consciousness in the physical world?
Do we have free will?
How do we persist over time, as our bodily and psychological traits change?
The second goal is to get you thinking philosophically yourself. This will help you develop your critical reasoning and argumentative skills more generally. Along the way we will draw from late, great classical authors and influential contemporary figures.
To help enhance your learning experience, this course offers instructor grading. If you choose to pursue a verified certificate, a professional philosopher will carefully read, grade and comment upon your work. Though all residential philosophy courses at MIT, and other major universities, offer instructor grading, this is an innovation in the world of MOOCs. Students will test their ideas against, and receive individual advice from, professional philosophers. We believe that this is the best way to learn philosophy.
Verified learners will be eligible for the MITx Philosophy Award and (for students presently in high school) the MITx High School Philosophy Award. The awards will be given for outstanding written work by the MIT Philosophy Department. In addition, award winners will be profiled on the MIT Philosophy website. Please see the FAQ section below for the link to more information on the MITx Philosophy Award.
NOTE: Enrollment for instructor grading will be capped.
What you'll learn
- Is there a God?
- What is knowledge, and how do we get it?
- What is the place of our consciousness in the physical world?
- Do we have free will?
- How do we persist over time, as our bodily and psychological traits change?
- How to construct and analyze philosophical arguments
- How to write clearly and communicate complicated ideas effectively
- Arguments for and against the existence of God
- The distinction between epistemic and practical rationality
- Theories of Knowledge
- Physicalist and Non-Physicalist theories of consciousness
- Free Will and Determinism
- Personal Identity
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| Rating | 5.0★ based on 9 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 12 weeks |
| Effort | 5 - 6 hours per week |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $250 |
| From | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MITx via edX |
| Instructors | Caspar Hare, Ryan Doody, Cosmo Grant, David Balcarras |
| Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Humanities |
| Tags | Humanities Philosophy & Ethics |
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What people are saying
issues through critical thinking
The course focused on some of the most important questions in philosophy and helped the students gain a clear and refined understanding of these much thought about philosophical issues through critical thinking and arguments.
enthusiastic prof. who explained
Enthusiastic Prof. who explained controversial topics really really well, and was involved into discussions on forums.
go on taking philosophy
I will go on taking Philosophy classes in the future and am waiting eagerly for the next iteration of this course too.
speak with confidence
This course helps to become a better thinker and speak with confidence.
website says it
Well the name of the website says it all... Great Introduction by Prof. Hare to some of the most important and controversial topics of contemporary philosophy and non.
great introduction by
about philosophical issues
philosophy classes
best courses
Learned a lot, thought even more ;) Thank you, thank you, thank you for this experience 24.00x is one of the best courses I've taken.
better thinker
even more
involved into
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| Rating | 5.0★ based on 9 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 12 weeks |
| Effort | 5 - 6 hours per week |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $250 |
| From | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MITx via edX |
| Instructors | Caspar Hare, Ryan Doody, Cosmo Grant, David Balcarras |
| Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Humanities |
| Tags | Humanities Philosophy & Ethics |
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