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Intro to Philosophy

Free Intro to Philosophy study guide: 10 units with summaries, key ideas, flashcards and 300 practice questions with step-by-step solutions.

Lines up with: College intro philosophy course.

Units

1. UNIT 01

   What Philosophy Is and Logic Basics

   Philosophy is the careful study of basic questions about reality, knowledge, value and reasoning, and logic gives you the tools to judge whether an argument actually supports its conclusion. Every later unit depends on these tools.
2. UNIT 02

   Ancient Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

   Greek philosophy set the agenda for Western philosophy: what reality is made of, how we know it and how to live well. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are the core figures, with the Presocratics before them and the Stoics and Epicureans after.
3. UNIT 03

   Knowledge and Skepticism (Epistemology)

   Epistemology asks what knowledge is, where it comes from and whether we have any. This unit covers the definition of knowledge, the rationalist and empiricist traditions, and the major skeptical challenges with replies to them.
4. UNIT 04

   Mind and Body

   The mind-body problem asks how mental life, such as thoughts, feelings and experiences, relates to the physical brain and body. This unit compares dualism, behaviorism, identity theory and functionalism, and the puzzles of consciousness and personal identity.
5. UNIT 05

   Free Will and Determinism

   If every event is caused by earlier events and the laws of nature, can anyone act freely or deserve praise and blame? This unit maps the main answers: hard determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism.
6. UNIT 06

   Philosophy of Religion

   Philosophy of religion examines arguments for and against God's existence and whether religious belief can be rational. This unit presents the classic arguments, the main objections and the debate over faith and evidence, as each side argues them.
7. UNIT 07

   Ethical Theories: Utilitarianism, Kant, Virtue

   Normative ethics asks what makes actions right or wrong. This unit covers the three major theories, utilitarianism, Kantian ethics and virtue ethics, along with egoism, relativism, divine command theory and care ethics, and the leading objections to each.
8. UNIT 08

   Applied Ethics

   Applied ethics uses moral theories and careful arguments to address real controversies. This unit presents the leading arguments on abortion, euthanasia, animals, global poverty and punishment, as their defenders and critics argue them.
9. UNIT 09

   Political Philosophy and Justice

   Political philosophy asks what makes government legitimate, how far liberty extends and what a just distribution of goods looks like. This unit covers social contract theory, Mill on liberty and the modern debate over justice.
10. UNIT 10

    Existentialism and Meaning

    Existentialists ask how individuals should live when traditional answers about human nature, God and value no longer seem secure. This unit covers Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Beauvoir and Camus, and the wider debate about meaning in life.