This course will introduce you to some of the main areas of research in contemporary philosophy. Each module a different philosopher will talk you through some of the most important questions and issues in their area of expertise. We ll begin by trying to understand what philosophy is what are its characteristic aims and methods, and how does it differ from other subjects? Then we ll spend the rest of the course gaining an introductory overview of several different areas of philosophy. Topics you ll learn about will include: Epistemology, where we ll consider what our knowledge of the world and ourselves consists in, and how we come to have it; Philosophy of science, where we ll investigate foundational conceptual issues in scientific research and practice; Philosophy of Mind, where we ll ask questions about what it means for something to have a mind, and how minds should be understood and explained; Political Philosophy, where we'll investigate whether we have an obligation to obey the law; Moral Philosophy, where we ll attempt to understand the nature of our moral judgements and reactions whether they aim at some objective moral truth, or are mere personal or cultural preferences, and; Metaphysics, where we ll think through some fundamental conceptual questions about free will and the nature of reality. The development of this MOOC has been led by the University of Edinburgh's Eidyn research centre. To accompany 'Introduction to Philosophy', we are pleased to announce a tie-in book from Routledge entitled 'Philosophy for Everyone'. This course companion to the 'Introduction to Philosophy' course was written by the Edinburgh Philosophy team expressly with the needs of MOOC students in mind. 'Philosophy for Everyone' contains clear and user-friendly chapters, chapter summaries, glossary, study questions, suggestions for further reading and guides to online resources. Please click "Start Here" and navigate to the "Optional Reading" page for more information.