Aims

To give the students a better understanding of the nature of philosophical inquiry and its methods by addressing some of the key concepts of philosophy and thus furnishing the students with the main tools with which to work in the discipline.

Main themes

Introduction to philosophical problems and methodology.

Content and teaching methods

The aim of the course is to give an encyclopedic overview of the key problems and of the various methods encountered in philosophy inquiry: the Ancient and Modern conceptions of philosophy; similarities and differences between science, philosophy, and religion; why do philosophers study the history of their discipline? (in contrast to mathematicians, physicists, and psychologists); ways of writing the history of philosophy; the meaning of divisions within philosophy (logic, epistemology, metaphysics, cosmology, etc.); historical explanation of some fundamental concepts (such as "idea," "metaphysics," "dialectics," etc.); a comparison between the different methodologies of contemporary philosophy (phenomenology, hermeneutics, analytical philosophy, philosophical historiography); survey of the great philosophical "traditions" (rationalism and empiricism in epistemology; nominalism and realism in the theory of meaning; monism, dualism, and pluralism in metaphysics; materialism and idealism in cosmology; theism, deism, and pantheism in natural theology; utilitarianism, eudaimonism, and deontologism in ethics); and finally, a description of the main instruments used in philosophical work (dictionaries, encyclopedias, histories of philosophy, bibliographies, philosophy on the Internet … ).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Pre-requisites: None.

Assessment: Written or ral exam and tutorials.

Supporting Material: Class notes.