Philosophy - An Introduction
C03105

Course Content

This course covers:
Term1
Introduction to philosophy: The Greeks, Ethics, Political Philosophy
Explore key areas:
Epistemology (the study of knowledge)
Metaphysics (the nature of reality)
Ethics
Political philosophy
Together we will consider key questions;
Knowledge and Reality: Can we ever be certain about what we know? How do we come to know the world and ourselves? Is the true nature of reality something we can grasp?
Moral Philosophy: Are there universal standards for right and wrong, or are moral values shaped by culture and individual perspective? What are the consequences of each view, and how can philosophical thinking guide real-world ethical decisions?
Politics and Society: What gives governments the right to rule? When is political authority legitimate—or not? How should individual freedom relate to state power? What do we mean by “freedom” and “progress,” and how do these ideas shape our understanding of society?
Term 2
Introduction to philosophy: Enlightenment and Romanticism
We’ll explore how these periods shaped modern thinking about reason, individuality, nature, freedom, and imagination—and how their legacies continue to influence our cultural and political lives today.
Together, we’ll consider:
The Enlightenment: What role should reason, science, and progress play in human life? Can society be improved through rational thought? How did Enlightenment thinkers challenge traditional authority in politics, religion, and morality?
Romanticism: In reaction to Enlightenment rationalism, how did Romantic philosophers and writers reimagine the self, emotion, nature, and creativity? What does it mean to value intuition over logic—or the individual over the collective? We’ll engage with key thinkers such as Kant, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Hume, Schiller, and Schelling, and reflect on big questions about the human condition, freedom, and the tension between reason and feeling.
Term 3
Introduction to philosophy: Postmodernism and Marxism
We’ll explore how these traditions have shaped critical thinking about society, power, identity, history, and truth—and how their insights continue to inform debates in politics, culture and philosophy today.
Together, we’ll consider:
Marxism: How do economic systems shape human relationships, beliefs, and institutions? What is ideology, and how does it maintain inequality? Can history be understood as a struggle between classes, and what would it mean to create a more just and equal society?
Postmodernism: In response to grand narratives like Marxism and Enlightenment rationalism, how does postmodern thought challenge our assumptions about truth, progress, identity, and meaning? What happens when we question objectivity, fixed identities, and universal values? We’ll engage with key thinkers such as Marx, Engels, Althusser, Foucault, Lyotard, and Derrida, and examine the impact of their ideas on how we understand language, power, culture, and resistance.