5309375: CF_Fundamentals of Philosophy: An Introduction to Major Topics and Thinkers (Lecture)

Description

Philosophy deals with fundamental questions about life. As a short introduction to philosophy, this course takes up mainly four major areas of philosophy:

• The nature of philosophy: what is philosophy? What are its objects of investigation? What are its methods? What makes philosophy relevant?
• Ethics: how should we live? Why do we need ethics?
• Aesthetics: What is art? What is an artwork? How do we evaluate artworks? Are moral standards relevant for art? Are they universal or relative? Is there immoral art?
• Political philosophy: How does individual freedom stand vis-à-vis the state? What are the justifications of the duty to obey (citizens) and the right to coerce (state)? What does "living together" require?

Lecture Goals

Participants will be also able to:

• Acquire knowledge on philosophy in general and on core philosophical issues in particular;
• Familiarize with theories of some major past and contemporary philosophers, mainly in the areas of ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy and epistemology.
• Understand how philosophical-theoretical insights can be used to address practical and concrete life situations;
• Acquire skills necessary to read and write philosophical works
• Develop critical thinking

Learning Outcomes

Participants will be also able to:

• Acquire knowledge on philosophy in general and on core philosophical issues in particular;
• Familiarize with theories of some major past and contemporary philosophers, mainly in the areas of ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy and epistemology.
• Understand how philosophical-theoretical insights can be used to address practical and concrete life situations;
• Acquire skills necessary to read and write philosophical works
• Develop critical thinking

Lectures Method

Lectures, reading assignments, discussions, and presentations

Admission Requirements

A genuine interest in philosophy

Literature

• Edward Craig, Philosophy. A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: OUP, 2002.)
• Aloysius P. Martinich, Philosophical Writing. An Introduction, 4. Ed. (Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2016)
• Thomas Nagel, What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy (Oxford: OUP, 1987).
• David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton, Philosophy Bites (Oxford: OUP, 2012
• Steven M. Cahn, Exploring Philosophy. An Introductory Anthology (Oxford: OUP, 2015), 5th Edition.

Comments

Cross-faculty elective subject:
Notice the special Multi-stage allocation process.