This MOOC course titled Fundamentals of Philosophy introduces us to the basic concepts of philosophy. The basic concepts included in this course are- Nature and Scope of philosophy, utility of studying philosophy, Nature and Kinds of Knowledge, Theories of knowledge, theories of truth, concept of idealism and realism, mind-body relation, concept of universals, concept of logical positivism and existentialism, the concept of person, theories of punishment, and Individual and society.Apart from this this MOOC course has an interdisciplinary appeal, which we infer from the concepts mentioned in the above. Thus, learners from across the disciplines may get taste by enrolling in this course which has been specially designed for all categories of learners. By studying the different concepts in this course, learners may develop their innate capacities of learning, that is analytical skill or reasoning power present in human being. Besides It also enquires into the nature, meaning, purpose, origin and destiny of human life. Hence, this MOOC course has a relevance in case of exploring and flourishing human self by studying the epistemological and metaphysical concepts of philosophy.
Overview
Syllabus
Week
Module
Topic
1
Module 1
Nature of Philosophy
Unit 1
Nature, Scope and Utility of Philosophy
2
Module 2
Nature of Knowledge
Unit 2
Nature and Kinds of Knowledge: ‘Knowledge by acquaintance’ and ‘Knowledge by Description’
3
Module 3
Origin and Source of Knowledge
Unit 3
Theories of Knowledge: Rationalism and Empiricism
Unit 4
Kant’s critical theory
Unit 5
Scepticism: Hume
4
Module 4
Theories of Truth
Unit 6
Theories of Truth: Correspondence, Coherence, Pragmatic theory
5
Module 5
Concept of Realism
Unit 7
Realism: Naive and Scientific Realism
6
Module 6
Concept of Idealism
Unit 8
Idealism: Subjective
Unit 9
Idealism: Objective
7
Module 7
Mind-Body Relation
Unit 10
Mind-Body relation: Descartes and Spinoza
8
Module 8
Concept of Universals
Unit 11
Universals: Realism
Unit 12
Universals: Nominalism
9
Module 9
Logical Positivism
Unit 13
Outlines of Logical Positivism
10
Module 10
Concept of Existentialism
Unit 14
Existentialism
11
Module 11
Concept of Person
Unit 15
Concept of Person: Strawson
12
Module 12
Concept of Punishment and Individual and Society
Unit 16
Theories of Punishment
Unit 17
Individual and Society
Taught by
Dr. Bhaskar Bhattacharyya
