Subject Area: Philosophy

The course is a broad introduction to some of the most central concepts and issues in philosophy from both a historical and contemporary perspective. The course encourages and provides the skills that will allow you to perform in-depth analyses of individual philosophical problems, arguments and positions but also allows you to understand the broader context in which these arise. The course will provide an introductory level avenue to developing the skills and reasoning ability associated with the discipline of philosophy and is an ideal precursor to advanced courses but these skills are readily transferable to any area of study and to life more generally. Epistemology is the philosophy of knowledge. Metaphysics is the philosophy of reality. Philosophers to be read include Plato, Descartes and Russell, along with many contemporary philosophers. Topics to be discussed are as follows: