Philosophy for Beginners Course

Lesson 1 • Defining Philosophy as a Discipline

Philosophy is distinguished from science, religion, and opinion. This grounding prevents common misconceptions that hinder deeper engagement throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Philosophy's Historical Roots

Key ancient origins in Greece, India, and China are surveyed to show philosophy as a global enterprise. Students recognize that diverse traditions address overlapping fundamental questions.

Lesson 3 • The Major Branches of Philosophy

The five core branches—metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and aesthetics—are introduced with concrete examples. Students map how each branch addresses distinct human concerns.

Lesson 1 • Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

Deductive validity and inductive strength are contrasted with clear examples. Students apply both forms to philosophical and real-world scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Arguments, Premises, and Conclusions

An argument is defined as a set of premises offered in support of a conclusion. Students practice identifying argument structure in everyday language.

Lesson 3 • Common Logical Fallacies

Fifteen widely encountered fallacies are categorized as formal or informal errors. Students develop the habit of spotting flawed reasoning in arguments they read and hear.

Lesson 1 • Truth and Belief Justification

Correspondence, coherence, and pragmatic theories of truth are compared. Students connect theories of truth to standards for justifying beliefs.

Lesson 2 • Knowledge in the Information Age

Social epistemology and the challenge of misinformation are applied to contemporary knowledge problems. Students use epistemological tools to evaluate sources critically.

Lesson 3 • Skepticism and Its Challenges

Cartesian doubt, the brain-in-a-vat scenario, and Humean skepticism are examined as challenges to knowledge claims. Students evaluate responses that philosophers have offered.

Lesson 4 • Sources of Knowledge

Perception, reason, memory, testimony, and intuition are evaluated as knowledge sources. Students assess the reliability and limits of each source.

Lesson 1 • Personal Identity and Persistence

Criteria for personal identity over time—psychological continuity, bodily continuity, and soul theories—are examined. Students apply these criteria to thought experiments about survival.

Lesson 2 • Mind, Body, and Consciousness

Dualism, physicalism, and functionalism are surveyed as solutions to the mind-body problem. Students assess the hard problem of consciousness and its philosophical significance.

Lesson 3 • Free Will, Determinism, and Moral Responsibility

Hard determinism, compatibilism, and libertarian free will are compared. Students evaluate which position best supports moral responsibility.

Lesson 4 • The Nature of Time and Causation

A-theory and B-theory of time are introduced alongside causal realism and regularity theories. Students connect these debates to questions about change and explanation.

Lesson 1 • Consequentialism and Utilitarianism

Bentham's hedonistic calculus and Mill's refined utilitarianism are explained and critiqued. Students apply consequentialist reasoning to real-world dilemmas.

Lesson 2 • Virtue Ethics and Character

Aristotle's eudaimonia, the doctrine of the mean, and contemporary virtue ethics are examined. Students evaluate how character-based ethics complements rule-based approaches.

Lesson 3 • Applying Ethics to Real Dilemmas

A structured decision-making framework integrates all three theories for analyzing moral dilemmas. Students practice applying the framework to cases in technology, medicine, and social life.

Lesson 4 • Foundations of Moral Philosophy

Metaethics distinguishes moral realism, anti-realism, and relativism as background positions. Students understand how metaethical commitments shape normative ethical reasoning.

Lesson 1 • Democracy, Power, and Representation

Direct and representative democracy are evaluated alongside critiques from deliberative and participatory theorists. Students connect philosophical ideals to real democratic institutions.

Lesson 2 • Liberty, Authority, and Obligation

Positive and negative liberty, political obligation, and civil disobedience are examined. Students evaluate when, if ever, citizens are justified in resisting authority.

Lesson 3 • The Social Contract Tradition

Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau offer contrasting accounts of political authority's origin. Students compare how each thinker's view of human nature shapes their political conclusions.

Lesson 4 • Contemporary Social Justice Issues

Feminist philosophy, critical race theory, and disability justice are introduced as extensions of political philosophy. Students apply justice frameworks to structural inequality.

Lesson 1 • What Makes Science Scientific?

Demarcation criteria from Popper, Kuhn, and Lakatos are compared to identify what separates science from non-science. Students apply these criteria to contested knowledge claims.

Lesson 2 • Explanation, Causation, and Laws

The deductive-nomological model and causal-mechanical explanation are examined as accounts of scientific explanation. Students evaluate what it means for science to explain a phenomenon.

Lesson 3 • Scientific Realism and Anti-Realism

Scientific realism, instrumentalism, and constructive empiricism are compared as positions on what science tells us about reality. Students assess the debate's implications for scientific practice.

Lesson 1 • Meaning, Purpose, and the Good Life

Existentialist, Stoic, and Buddhist accounts of meaning and the good life are compared. Students articulate their own considered view of what makes a life go well.

Lesson 2 • Philosophical Dialogue and Disagreement

Productive philosophical disagreement requires charity, precision, and intellectual humility. Students practice structured dialogue techniques that advance rather than entrench positions.

Lesson 3 • Writing and Arguing Philosophically

Philosophical writing demands clarity, precision, and rigorous argument structure. Students draft and revise a philosophical argument using feedback from peer review.

Lesson 4 • Integrating the Major Frameworks

Students map connections and tensions among epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, and political philosophy. Integration reveals how commitments in one area constrain choices in others.