The great philosophers

About this course

The course examines ideas and philosophical problems associated with Plato, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Marx and Sartre. Sessions use Jostein Gaarder’s *Sophie’s World* as a framework, with each class focusing on one or two chapters. Teaching combines short lecture-style presentations with pair, group and whole-class discussion. Learners can also continue exploring the topics through online forums. The course considers how the featured philosophers approached their central questions and provides opportunities to assess their proposed solutions.

What you'll learn

• Identify the distinctive ideas of the philosophers studied
• Explain the problems that concerned these philosophers
• Assess the basic solutions they proposed

Is this course right for you?

This Improver-level course is intended for learners developing beyond an introductory engagement with philosophy. Participants should be able to read and comment on extracts from a philosophical text, and should be prepared to discuss their reading in class. An open, critical approach and willingness to consider views that differ from their own are emphasised.

• Requires reading and commenting on philosophical text extracts
• Includes pair, group and whole-class discussion
• Suitable for learners willing to examine ideas they may not agree with

Before you go

• Learners need a copy of Jostein Gaarder’s *Sophie’s World*.