The entire course was well organized into subsections, and there was an overall arc which tied it all together. What is the meaning of life? Begin with a close study of omnitemporalism - the idea that the future already exists and that God necessarily has foreknowledge of it. Examine three more theories of the mind - property dualism, epiphenomenalism, and eliminative materialism - discovering that each has shortcomings. Q: Can I update or change my email address? Sign In to access your account information and digital media, Professor David Kyle Johnson, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma. Start with Hume's argument that testimony can never justify a belief that a miracle has occurred. Begin with a thought experiment based on Christopher Nolan's movie Interstellar, pondering how you might start civilization from scratch in the fairest possible way. If you are not familiar with the term, and it's logical weaknesses, it may be well worth looking up.) Could the mind be an illusion? Study objections to this outlook. Test these ideas in thought experiments involving the transporter from Star Trek and other intriguing scenarios. Sorry, this feature is not available yet. Your first step is to inquire what establishes the truth of ethical statements. These situations show that philosophical problems are everywhere and that our intuitions about what seems right can help guide us toward answers to the big questions: Given the longevity of these big questions, it should be no surprise that many controversies are far from settled. To ensure that the pricing on the website is the same as what is in your catalog or advertisement, please enter the priority code provided. At Oklahoma, he won the coveted Kenneth Merrill Graduate Teaching Award. Along the way, you meet scores of key figures, both ancient and modern. You'll explore timeless "big questions" about the self, God, justice, and other meaningful topics, gaining the context you need for an understanding of the foundational issues, as well as the confidence to establish your own informed positions on these "big questions." When the recipient clicks on their email and redeems their eGift, you will automatically receive an email notification. Even Sherlock Holmes - the master of deduction - really practiced abductive inference. The Big Questions of Philosophy Reviews - page 2. We are working on adding it in the future. If there is one suggestion that I could add is that in such a course that presents many terms not commonly used in the mainstream lexicon, where such terms not only are defined ,however used to synthesize a concept takes my mind into a spin to follow both the definitions, and the synthesized concept that is challenging to encode as learning. It's simple: Once you have paid for your order, your friend or loved one will receive an email letting them know that they have a gift waiting for them at TheGreatCourses.com. However, discusses WHAT the questions have been that philosophers have been talking/thinking about. Do we have free will? That gift will be added to their My Digital Library when they log in and click to redeem it. In addition to the breadth of topics, Professor Johnson's historical treatment adds great depth. We will send you an email so you can reset your password. Explore three theories on the proper size of government, focusing on economic regulation and delivery of services. He earned a master’s degree and doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oklahoma. What makes it "obvious"? I really loved the lectures on knowledge/truth. Q: Why do I need to specify the email of the recipient? Discover that philosophy is arguably the most important pursuit there is. Some of the lectures were a little obtuse ("why is there something rather than nothing" - I did not get that well), but overall, I enjoyed this course. Please enter a password that is between 5 and 20 characters long. The Big Questions A Short Introduction to Philosophy Eighth Edition ROBERT C. SOLOMON University of Texas at Austin KATHLEEN M. HIGGINS University of Texas at Austin Australia • Brazil • Japan • Korea • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States Dr. David Kyle Johnson is Associate Professor of Philosophy at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-big-questions-of-philosophy.html The most interesting and relevant questions of philosophy--about justifying our beliefs, our ethics and our politics--are asked and competing answers described, debated and often discarded. Discuss the virtues of being "good" when wickedness has its rewards. Q: Oops! I find it fascinating, enlightening, and very worthwhile. You’ll discover that great thinkers before you have offered convincing answers to hard questions, philosophers after them have made equally persuasive objections, and then still others have refined the debate even further—causing the issue to come into sharper and sharper focus. 72% of reviewers would recommend this product, Watch this Course and 100s of Others with a. Professor Johnson’s approach is surprisingly entertaining and easy to follow as you wade through philosophical issues such as these: How are these issues decided? It is "obvious", after all. No deep discussions of what Plato, Aristotle, etc said. Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. If you have problems, please Contact Us. Does this fact morally justify it? Explore the implications of this view, which traces to the Judeo-Christian concept of the resurrection of the body in the afterlife. The email will direct them to TheGreatCourses.com. To purchase a DVD or CD version of a course and mail it to a friend, please call customer service at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance. With an eGift, you can instantly send a Great Course to a friend or loved one via email. Avoiding fallacious reasoning is just the beginning of philosophical thinking. Q: How will my friend or family member know they have a gift? This experience is optimized for Internet Explorer version 10 and above. Having covered ways of gaining evidence and justifying belief in pursuit of knowledge, now ask: Is knowledge really possible? the big questions of philosophy should make to your values, behaviour, and life plans • describe the strengths and weaknesses of alternative responses to questions of applied philosophy • apply philosophical skills such as precise writing and critical It is one thing for God to grant humans the freedom to do evil, but it's harder to understand the existence of natural evils such as earthquakes and plagues.