Introduction to Philosophy

This one-semester course is intended as a practical guide to help you understand the subject matter of philosophy, its main branches, and the major ideas and issues discussed in each branch.  This course will help you meet the following goals: Understand the subject matter of philosophy and key contributions by major philosophers.Explore the major branches of philosophy. Learn about the beginnings of philosophical questioning. Discuss the development of contemporary metaphysics. Discuss the rationalist ideas and philosophers within epistemology. Discuss the theories of empiricism and empiricist philosophers. Explore the fundamentals of logic and learn the methods of argument. Learn about the main ideas in the philosophy of art. Learn about the main ideas in value theory and describe moral systems. Examine the theories for and against the existence of God. Discuss the problem of evil, understand its paradoxes, and discuss a variety of responses. Discuss the fundamental concepts of social philosophy. Discuss key concepts and issues in political philosophy. Explore the field of bioethics and the application of philosophical theory to real-life situations. Discuss the applications of philosophy in the fields of finance and business.