Introduction to Philosophy

Storyline

In Introduction to Philosophy, a nine-hour course, Dr. Bonevac guides us through the major traditions of Western philosophy in eight engaging lectures on ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. We explore three key ethical frameworks—virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism—before tackling fundamental questions about reality, from realism to idealism. The course then examines theories of knowledge, weighing skepticism’s doubt, rationalism’s innate ideas, and empiricism’s reliance on experience. Finally, we consider how these philosophical traditions continue to shape debates about morality, reality, and human understanding today.