PH133-30 Introduction to Philosophy

Introductory description

PH133 Introduction to Philosophy

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The following subject areas and approaches will be covered:

Terms 1 and 2:
Ancient Philosophy
Moral Philosophy
Political Philosophy
Aesthetics
Continental Philosophy
Epistemology
Metaphysics
Philosophy of Mind

Term 3:
Logic

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Understand main debates in key subject areas of philosophy, such as moral and political philosophy, epistemology and metaphysics, aesthetics, and continental philosophy.
• Articulate their own view of the relative merits of different positions in key debates and engage critically with other points of view.
• Critically analyse and evaluate philosophical arguments in different subject areas of philosophy.
• Recognise the distinctive contributions made by various texts that are central to the history of philosophy and critically engage with the arguments presented therein.
• Understand the notion of logical validity and related logical notions. Use formal techniques to show the validity of arguments. Translate between a formal first-order language and English.

Indicative reading list

See electronic bibliography.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

Knowledge and understanding of core philosophical topics; philosophy essay writing skills; logical analysis and methods.

Transferable skills

Critical evaluation, persuasive writing, logical analysis, critical discussion.