Philosophy courses address the big questions that make us human-morality, ethics, purpose, and rationality-in the modern and historical context. Explore the field's eastern and western traditions, including specific schools of philosophy such as existentialism and humanism.
Online courses include philosophy of the mind, social and political philosophy, history of ethics, and contemporary analytic philosophy. Distance learners can choose from multiple start dates throughout the year, which can make it easier to fit this program into their busy schedules.
Introduction to Philosophy
Philosophy – the love of wisdom – is an activity of attempting to understand the world, in all its aspects. There are four pillars of philosophy: theoretical philosophy (metaphysics and epistemology), practical philosophy (ethics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics), logic, and history of philosophy.
Readings for philosophy courses are generally not long, but they are difficult and challenging. You cannot expect to go through an assigned reading once and have an adequate grasp of it. Some students seem to thrive on the painstaking study required, while others simply don't have the patience for it.
A philosophy major is perfect by itself because you can learn critical thinking skills and also reflect on big questions in life - in ethics, religion, aesthetics, politics and other valuble subjects.
It is a reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths, a quest for understanding, a study of principles of conduct. It seeks to establish standards of evidence, to provide rational methods of resolving conflicts, and to create techniques for evaluating ideas and arguments.
How To Do Well in a College (Philosophy) ClassTake responsibility for all of your duties as a student.Record all assignment due dates.Get to work on assignments early.Seek out help and guidance on assignments from the instructor.Don't miss class.Don't skip assignments.Take good notes.More items...
How to Learn Philosophy Without Going to ClassRead the books “A History of Western Philosophy” by Bertrand Russell or “The Story of Philosophy” by Will Durant. ... Listen to bite-sized audio courses on Listenable. ... Take bite-sized courses on philosophy on Highbrow. ... Use Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.More items...•
These highly critical, analytical, and argumentative skills that are developed often lead students to pursue legal studies, MBA programs, or seminaries. Jobs for philosophy majors include a lawyer, systems analyst, cultural affairs officer, technical writer, and a critic.
Mathematics is the philosophical language nature prefers, and science is the only truly effective means we have for connecting our philosophy to reality. Thus maths and science are crucial for good philosophy – for getting things right.
It is hard because philosophical ideas and arguments themselves are so complex, so subtle and nuanced, and they rely on a web of understanding that reaches back more than two thousand years, past Hume and past Descartes, past Aquinas and Anselm all the way to Plato, Aristotle and Socrates.
Students will discuss, think deeply about, read about, and write about questions concerning God's existence, the existence of the soul, the nature of free will, the process of science, the meaning of the law, the nature of language, the existence of art and morality.
Philosophy is the study of existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind and language. In other words, it's the academic exploration of life's big questions. It's a discipline that can be applied to any field or subject and it helps to develop critical thinking skills.