Philosophy 200: Principles of Philosophy

Covers foundational principles, fostering critical thinking and analytical skills. Engage with historical & contemporary texts to understand & apply philosophical thought. Earn 3 credits while enhancing your ability navigate ethical dilemmas.

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Course Curriculum

1. Course Overview and Learning Outcomes
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1. Introduction
1. Reference video: What is Philosophy?
2. Understanding the Origins and Nature of Philosophy
3. QUIZ
1. Reference video: How Do Philosophers Arrive at Truth
2. Philosophical Methods and Sources of Evidence
3. Quiz 1.2
1. Reference video: Socrates as a Paradigmatic Historical Philosopher
2. The Life and Philosophy of Socrates: An Exploration of Ethics, Knowledge, and the Examined Life
3. Quiz 1.3
1. Reference video: An Overview of Contemporary Philosophy
2. Exploring Philosophy: Career Paths, Academic Opportunities, and the Structure of Philosophical Inquiry
3. Quiz 1.4
1. Key Concepts and Summary
1. Introduction
1. Reference video: The Brain Is an Inference Machine 1
2. The Brain's Role in Inference, Emotion, and Decision-Making: A Critical Thinking Approach
3. Quiz 2.1
1. Reference video: Overcoming Cognitive Biases and Engaging in Critical Reflection
2. Understanding and Overcoming Cognitive Biases Through Critical Reflection
3. Quiz 2.2
1. Epistemic Humility, Cognitive Biases, and Strategies for Objective Thinking
2. Quiz 2.3
1. Critical Fact-Checking Strategies: The SIFT Method and Beyond
2. Quiz 2.4
1. Mastering Philosophical Reading: Strategies and Techniques
2. QUIZ 2.5
1. Crafting Effective Philosophy Papers: Strategies for Argumentation and Structure
2. QUIZ 2.6
1. Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 2
1. Video: Interactive Timeline of the History of Philosophy
2. Introduction
1. Exploring Indigenous Philosophies: Metaphysical and Epistemological Insights from African, Native American, and Mesoamerican Thought
2. QUIZ 3.1
1. Exploring Indian Metaphysical Concepts and Philosophical Schools: A Comparative Analysis
2. Quiz 3.2
1. Classical Chinese Philosophy: Confucianism, Daoism, and Mohism
2. Quiz 3.3
1. Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 3
1. Introduction
1. Approaches to the History of Philosophy: Presentist, Contextualist, and Hermeneutic Perspectives
2. QUIZ 4.1
1. Influence of Egyptian Scholarship on Classical Greek and Roman Philosophy
2. Quiz 4.2
1. The Evolution of Philosophy: From Classical to Early Modern Thought
2. Quiz 4.3
1. Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 4
1. Introduction
1. Foundations of Logic and Dialectics in Philosophical Inquiry
2. QUIZ 5.1
1. Understanding Conditionals and Universal Affirmatives in Logical Reasoning
2. Quiz 5.2
1. Understanding and Analyzing Arguments in Philosophy
2. Quiz 5.3
1. Understanding and Classifying Inferences
2. Quiz 5.4
1. Understanding and Identifying Informal Fallacies
2. Quiz 5.5
1. Key Concepts and Summary
1. Introduction
2. VIDEO: Philosophy vs Religion: Exploring the Differences
1. Exploring Metaphysics: Substance, Identity, and the Foundations of Reality
2. QUIZ 6.1
1. The Self, Identity, and the Mind-Body Problem: A Philosophical Inquiry
2. Quiz 6.2
1. Cosmological and Teleological Arguments: Exploring the Existence of God and the Problem of Evil
2. Quiz 6.3
1. The Nature of Free Will: Exploring Libertarianism, Determinism, and Compatibilism
2. Quiz 6.4
1. Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 6
1. Introduction
2. VIDEO: Epistemology in Philosophy Simply Explained (Past to Present Day Theory)
1. The Traditional Analysis of Knowledge: Exploring Justified True Belief and its Challenges
2. QUIZ 7.1
1. Exploring Epistemic Justification: Internalism, Externalism, and Theories of Knowledge
2. Quiz 7.2
1. Rationalism,Empiricism,Kantian Synthesis
2. Quiz 7.3
1. The Nature of Skepticism: Exploring Doubt, Knowledge, and Reality
2. Quiz 7.4
1. Epistemic Value: Navigating Knowledge, Justification, and Ethical Responsibility
2. Quiz 7.5
1. Exploring Bayesian Epistemology: The Intersection of Formal and Traditional Approaches
2. QUIZ 7.6
1. Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 7
1. Introduction
2. VIDEO: What is Value Theory (Axiology and Theory of Value)
1. Fact-Value Distinction and Its Philosophical Implications
2. QUIZ 8.1
1. Exploring Intrinsic and Extrinsic Values: Monism, Pluralism, and Moral Frameworks
2. Quiz 8.2
1. Foundations of Moral Theory: Realism, Anti-Realism, and the Ontology of Values
2. Quiz 8.3
1. Well Being
2. Quiz 8.4
1. Aesthetic Theory: Objective vs. Subjective Beauty and Its Implications
2. Quiz 8.5
1. Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 8
1. Introduction
2. VIDEO:Three Moral Theories | Normative Ethics
1. Foundations of Normative Ethics and Moral Theories
2. QUIZ 9.1
1. Consequentialist Theories: Mohism and Utilitarianism
2. Quiz 9.2
1. Deontological Ethics: Kantian and Pluralist Perspectives
2. Quiz 9.3
1. Virtue Ethics: Confucianism, Aristotelianism, and the Pursuit of Moral Excellence
2. QUIZ 9.4
1. Daoism and Ethics: Understanding the Dao and Its Role in Moral Philosophy
2. QUIZ 9.5
1. Feminist Ethics: Challenging Traditional Moral Frameworks and Exploring Intersectionality
2. QUIZ 9.6
1. Introduction
1. Metaethics: Exploring the Foundations of Morality through Realism and Relativism
2. QUIZ 10.1
1. Exploring Religious Morality: Divine Command and Natural Law Theories
2. Quiz 10.2
1. Exploring Virtue Ethics Across Cultures and Philosophies
2. Quiz 10.3
1. Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 10
1. Introduction
1. Understanding the State: Concepts, Theories, and Historical Development
2. QUIZ 11.1
1. Exploring the Nature and Extent of Political Obligations in a Civilized Society
2. Quiz 11.2
1. The Evolution and Implications of Social Contract Theory
2. Quiz 11.3
1. Liberty, Justice, and the Evolution of Political Thought
2. Quiz 11.4
1. Critique
2. Quiz 11.5
1. Key concepts and Summary Chapter 11
1. Introduction
1. Enlightenment Ideas, Positivism, and the Emergence of Empirical Sociology
2. QUIZ 12.1
1. Dialectical Methods, Marxist Theory, and Revolutionary Movements
2. Quiz 12.2
1. Exploring Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, and Existentialism: Interpreting Meaning, Reality, and Freedom
2. Quiz 12.3
1. Exploring Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, and Existentialism: Interpreting Meaning, Reality, and Freedom
2. Quiz 12.4
1. Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, and Critical Theory: Exploring the Complexities of Language, Power, and Identity
2. QUIZ 12.5
1. Assignment
2. RUBRIC FOR ALL QUESTIONS
1. Final Exam Instructions
2. Start Proctoring
3. Final Exam (100 MCQ)
4. FINAL EXAM (Theoretical Questions)
5. RUBRICS FOR Theoretical Questions

About this course

151 lessons
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25% Quiz

25% Assignments

25% Final Exam

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Philosophy 200: Principles of Philosophy

Ch 1. Introduction to Philosophy

Ch 1.1 What Is Philosophy?

Ch 1.2 How Do Philosophers Arrive at Truth?

Ch 1.3 Socrates as a Paradigmatic Historical Philosopher

Ch 1.4 An Overview of Contemporary Philosophy

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 1

Ch 2. Critical Thinking, Research, Reading, and Writing

Ch 2.1 The Brain Is an Inference Machine

Ch 2.2 Overcoming Cognitive Biases and Engaging in Critical Reflection

Ch 2.3 Developing Good Habits of Mind

Ch 2.4 Gathering Information, Evaluating Sources, and Understanding Evidence

Ch 2.5 Reading Philosophy

2.6 Writing Philosophy Papers

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 2

Ch 3. The Early History of Philosophy around the World

Ch 3.1 Indigenous Philosophy

Ch 3.2 Classical Indian Philosophy

Ch 3.3 Classical Chinese Philosophy

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 3

Ch 4: The Emergence of Classical Philosophy

Ch 4.1 Historiography and the History of Philosophy

Ch 4.2 Classical Philosophy

Ch 4.3 Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Philosophy

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 4

Ch 5. Logic and Reasoning

Ch 5.1 Philosophical Methods for Discovering Truth

Ch 5.2 Logical Statements

Ch 5.3 Arguments

Ch 5.4 Types of Inferences

Ch 5.5 Informal Fallacies

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 5

Ch 6. Exploring the Interplay Between Religion and Philosophy

Ch 6.1 Substance

Ch 6.2 Self and Identity

Ch 6.3 Cosmology and the Existence of God

Ch 6.4 Free Will

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 6

Ch 7. Epistemology

Ch 7.1 - The Analysis of Knowledge

Ch 7.2 Epistemic Justification

Ch 7.3 Sources of Knowledge: Rationalism, Empiricism, and the Kantian Synthesis

Ch 7.4 Skepticism

Ch 7.5 Epistemic Value, Duty, and Virtue

Ch 7.6 Epistemology, Probability, and Science

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 7

Ch 8. Value Theory

Ch 8.1 The Fact-Value Distinction

Ch 8.2 Basic Questions about Values

Ch 8.3 Metaethics

Ch 8.4 Well-Being

Ch 8.5 Aesthetics

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 8

Ch 9. Normative Moral Theory

Ch 9.1 Requirements of a Normative Moral Theory

Ch 9.2 Consequentialism

Ch 9.3 Deontology

Ch 9.4 Virtue Ethics

Ch 9.5 Daoism

Ch 9.6 Feminist Theories of Ethics

Ch 10. Applied Ethics

Ch 10.1 Aren’t Right and Wrong Just Matters of Opinion? On Moral Relativism and Subjectivism

Ch 10.2 Can We Have Ethics without Religion? On Divine Command Theory and Natural Law Theory

Ch 10.3 How Can I Be a Better Person? On Virtue Ethics

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 10

Ch 11. Contemporary Perspectives on Knowledge

Ch 11.1 Historical Perspectives on Government

Ch 11.2 Nature and Purpose of the State - Obligations to and From the State

Ch 11.3 Balancing Natural Rights, Human Nature, and the State - Contracts

Ch 11.4 Liberty and Justice

Ch 11.5 Immanuel Kant's Critique of Empiricism and Rationalism: Synthesizing Dual Perspectives

Key Concepts and Summary Chapter 11

Ch 12. Contemporary Philosophies and Social Theories

Ch 12.1 Enlightenment Social Theory

Ch 12.2 The Marxist Solution

Ch 12.3 Continental Philosophy’s Challenge to Enlightenment Theories

Ch 12.4 The Frankfurt School

Ch 12.5 Postmodernism

Assignment

Final Exam