41 episodes

A series of lectures delivered by Peter Millican to first-year philosophy students at the University of Oxford. The lectures comprise of the 8-week General Philosophy course, delivered to first year undergraduates. These lectures aim to provide a thorough introduction to many philosophical topics and to get students and others interested in thinking about key areas of philosophy. Taking a chronological view of the history of philosophy, each lecture is split into 3 or 4 sections which outline a particular philosophical problem and how different philosophers have attempted to resolve the issue. Individuals interested in the 'big' questions about life such as how we perceive the world, who we are in the world and whether we are free to act will find this series informative, comprehensive and accessible.

General Philosophy Oxford University

    • Education
    • 4.2 • 11 Ratings

A series of lectures delivered by Peter Millican to first-year philosophy students at the University of Oxford. The lectures comprise of the 8-week General Philosophy course, delivered to first year undergraduates. These lectures aim to provide a thorough introduction to many philosophical topics and to get students and others interested in thinking about key areas of philosophy. Taking a chronological view of the history of philosophy, each lecture is split into 3 or 4 sections which outline a particular philosophical problem and how different philosophers have attempted to resolve the issue. Individuals interested in the 'big' questions about life such as how we perceive the world, who we are in the world and whether we are free to act will find this series informative, comprehensive and accessible.

    8.4 Persons, Humans and Brains

    8.4 Persons, Humans and Brains

    Part 8.4. The final part of this series. Explores the distinction between mind and body and whether this makes a difference to the idea of personal identity. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    • 10 min
    General Philosophy Lecture 8 (Slides)

    General Philosophy Lecture 8 (Slides)

    PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 8. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    8.3 Problems for Locke's View of Personal Identity

    8.3 Problems for Locke's View of Personal Identity

    Part 8.3. Criticisms of Locke's view of personal identity; if personal identity is dependent on memory then how does forgetting personal history and the concept of false memory change Locke's view of personal identity. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    • 9 min
    8.2 John Locke on Personal Identity

    8.2 John Locke on Personal Identity

    Part 8.2. Looks at John Locke's view of personal identity; how consciousness and 'personal history' distinguish personal identity and the idea of memory as crucial for personal identity. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    • 15 min
    8.1 Introduction to Personal Identity

    8.1 Introduction to Personal Identity

    Part 8.1. Introduces the concept of personal identity, what is it to be a person, whether someone is the same person over time and Leibniz's law of sameness. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    • 8 min
    7.4 Making Sense of Free Will and Moral Responsibility

    7.4 Making Sense of Free Will and Moral Responsibility

    Part 7.4. A brief explanation of Hume's argument for sentimentalism and Robert Kane's views on free will and determinism. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    • 9 min

Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5
11 Ratings

11 Ratings

Bluesmaniac ,

Great!

Dr, Millican is highly competent and this is an excellent and proper introduction to philosophy. This course is, and should be, required for undergraduates, Great work!

rtown ,

‘General’ philosophy is not only European philosophy

The lectures are likely very good - but let us realize that ‘General’ philosophy is not purely European philosophy. The name of the course is misnamed, and that is a remarkable oversight.

Emily0101 ,

One of the best.

Great Professor.

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