Unit 2531: Introduction to Philosophy

1. What is Philosophy?

• Definition and scope of philosophy
• Fundamental philosophical questions: What can we know? What is reality? How should we live?
• Philosophical methods: critical analysis, argumentation, dialectic
• Significance of philosophy in the pursuit of knowledge

2. Branches of Philosophy

• Metaphysics: study of existence, reality, causality
• Epistemology: nature and scope of knowledge, belief, and justification
• Ethics: moral principles, values, and conduct
• Logic: principles of valid reasoning and argument structure
• Aesthetics: philosophy of art, beauty, and taste
• Political Philosophy: justice, rights, government, and society

3. Ancient Philosophy

• Overview of the historical context
• Socrates: Socratic method, ethics, and the examined life
• Plato: theory of forms, epistemology, and political philosophy
• Aristotle: categories of being, virtue ethics, logic, and natural philosophy

4. Modern Philosophy

• Historical background: Renaissance to Enlightenment
• René Descartes: methodological skepticism, cogito ergo sum
• John Locke: empiricism, theory of mind, political theory
• David Hume: skepticism, causality, and human nature
• Immanuel Kant: synthetic a priori knowledge, categorical imperative, metaphysics of experience

5. Contemporary Philosophy

• Overview of 19th to 21st-century movements
• Existentialism: freedom, angst, authenticity (e.g., Kierkegaard, Sartre)
• Pragmatism: truth as practical utility (e.g., Peirce, James)
• Feminist philosophy: critique of traditional philosophy and gender ethics
• Postmodernism: skepticism towards meta-narratives, relativism

6. Philosophy of Mind

• Defining consciousness and mental processes
• The mind-body problem: dualism, physicalism, functionalism
• The problem of other minds and personal identity
• Contemporary perspectives: artificial intelligence and cognitive science

7. Ethics and Morality

• Introduction to normative ethical theories:
  • Utilitarianism (consequentialism)
  • Deontology (duty-based ethics)
  • Virtue Ethics (character-based ethics)
• Moral dilemmas and applied ethics
• Case studies: application of ethical theories to real-world issues

8. Critical Thinking and Logic

• Principles of critical thinking
• Deductive vs. inductive reasoning
• Common logical fallacies and how to identify them
• Argument analysis and construction

9. Philosophy of Religion

• Philosophical inquiry into religion and belief
• Arguments for the existence of God: cosmological, teleological, ontological
• Arguments against religious belief: problem of evil, atheism, agnosticism
• Faith and reason: compatibility and conflict
• Religious experience and its philosophical implications

10. Social and Political Philosophy

• Concepts of justice, rights, and political authority
• Theories of the state and governance:
  • Liberalism
  • Socialism
  • Anarchism
  • Communitarianism
• The ideal society and social contract theory
• Contemporary issues in social and political philosophy