7 episodes

Philosophy has been studied for thousands of years. It involves the use of reason and argument to search for the truth about reality - about the nature of things, ethics, aesthetics, language, the mind, God and everything else. This series of five introductory lectures, aimed at students new to philosophy, presented by Marianne Talbot, Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, will test you on some famous thought experiments and introduce you to some central philosophical issues and to the thoughts of some key philosophers.

Philosophy for Beginners Oxford University

- Courses
- 3.7 • 156 Ratings

- 13 NOV 2008
A romp through the history of philosophy from the Pre-Socratics to the present day.

A romp through the history of philosophy from the Pre-Socratics to the present day.

A romp through the history of philosophy from the Pre-Socratics to the present day. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
- 1 hr 32 min
- 9 JAN 2009
The philosophical method - logic and argument

The philosophical method - logic and argument

Logic and Argument: the joys of symbolic and philosophical logic. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
- 1 hr 34 min
- 9 JAN 2009
Ethics and politics

Ethics and politics

Moral and Political Philosophy: how should we live? What constitutes a just state? Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
- 1 hr 32 min
- 9 JAN 2009
Metaphysics and Epistemology

Metaphysics and Epistemology

Metaphysics and Epistemology: what exists, what is its nature and how can we acquire knowledge of it? Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
- 1 hr 30 min
- 9 JAN 2009
Philosophy of language and mind

Philosophy of language and mind

Language and Mind: What is rationality? What is consciousness? How do we manage to express our thoughts and experiences in language? Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
- 1 hr 27 min
- 16 APR 2012
Reading List (Slides)

Reading List (Slides)

Reading list for the Philosophy for Beginners series of podcasts. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

3.7 out of 5

156 Ratings

Light Introduction

I enjoyed the whole series. Others have felt some subjects were trivialised but I think it was an attempt to make the subject more accessible to the beginner. Those whose appetite is suitably whetted will soon find a more involved picture on further reading.

I do agree that not being able to hear the questions put forward does detract from the experience though. This is the only reason I knocked a star off.