Fundamentals of Philosophy

By Dr. Bhaskar Bhattacharyya and Dr. Tejasha Kalita | Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU), Guwahati

Learners enrolled: 556

This MOOC course titled Fundamentals of Philosophy introduces us to the basic concepts of philosophy. The basic concepts included in this course are- Nature and Scope of philosophy, utility of studying philosophy, Nature and Kinds of Knowledge, Theories of knowledge, theories of truth, concept of idealism and realism, mind-body relation, concept of universals, concept of logical positivism and existentialism, the concept of person, theories of punishment, and Individual and society. Apart from this this MOOC course has an interdisciplinary appeal, which we infer from the concepts mentioned in the above. Thus, learners from across the disciplines may get taste by enrolling in this course which has been specially designed for all categories of learners. By studying the different concepts in this course, learners may develop their innate capacities of learning, that is analytical skill or reasoning power present in human being. Besides It also enquires into the nature, meaning, purpose, origin and destiny of human life. Hence, this MOOC course has a relevance in case of exploring and flourishing human self by studying the epistemological and metaphysical concepts of philosophy.

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Not Applicable
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Philosophy
Credit Points :	4
Level :	Diploma
Start Date :	15 Jul 2025
End Date :	15 Nov 2025
Enrollment Ends :	15 Sep 2025
Exam Date :	14 Dec 2025 IST
Exam Shift: :	Shift-I

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

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Course layout

Week	Module	Topic
1	Module 1	Nature of Philosophy
	Unit 1	Nature, Scope and Utility of Philosophy
2	Module 2	Nature of Knowledge
	Unit 2	Nature and Kinds of Knowledge: ‘Knowledge by acquaintance’ and ‘Knowledge by Description’
3	Module 3	Origin and Source of Knowledge
	Unit 3	Theories of Knowledge: Rationalism and Empiricism
	Unit 4	Kant’s critical theory
	Unit 5	Scepticism: Hume
4	Module 4	Theories of Truth
	Unit 6	Theories of Truth: Correspondence, Coherence, Pragmatic theory
5	Module 5	Concept of Realism
	Unit 7	Realism: Naive and Scientific Realism
6	Module 6	Concept of Idealism
	Unit 8	Idealism: Subjective
	Unit 9	Idealism: Objective
7	Module 7	Mind-Body Relation
	Unit 10	Mind-Body relation: Descartes and Spinoza
8	Module 8	Concept of Universals
	Unit 11	Universals: Realism
	Unit 12	Universals: Nominalism
9	Module 9	Logical Positivism
	Unit 13	Outlines of Logical Positivism
10	Module 10	Concept of Existentialism
	Unit 14	Existentialism
11	Module 11	Concept of Person
	Unit 15	Concept of Person: Strawson
12	Module 12	Concept of Punishment and Individual and Society
	Unit 16	Theories of Punishment
	Unit 17	Individual and Society

Books and references

Cunningham, G.W.: Problems of Philosophy
Ewing, A.C.: Fundamental Questions of Philosophy
Hospers, John: An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis Revised Edition, London, Rout ledge & Kegan Paul, 1973
Sinha, Jadunath Sinha: Introduction to Philosophy, New Central Book Agency, 1985
Bhattacharyya, H.M: The Principles of Philosophy
Moore, G.E. and Broader: Philosophy-The Power of Ideas
Russell, B. (1984). The Problems of Philosophy. New Delhi: Oxford.
Copleson, Frederick.(1964) A History of Philosophy (Vol. IV, V, VI) Image Books
Morton.( 2001). A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge. Oxford, Blackwell
Thrilly, Frank.(1994). A History of Philosophy. Central Publishing House, Allahabad
Trusted, J.(1997). An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge, Macmillan
William, M. (2001). Problems of Knowledge: Oxford, OUP
Descartes, R. 1975. The Philosophical Writings of Descartes. Ed. J. Cottingham, R. Stoodhoff, and D. Murdoch, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Fogelin, R. 1994. Pyrrhonian reflections on Knowledge and Justifications, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Hume, D. Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals ed. P. Nidditch, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Dicker, Georges. 2004. Kant's theory of knowledge; an analytic introduction. Oxford University Press,
Guyer, Paul (ed.) 2006. The Cambridge Companion to Kant and Modern philosophy. Cambridge University Press
Descartes, R. 1975. The Philosophical Writings of Descartes. Ed. J. Cottingham, R. Stoodhoff, and D. Murdoch, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Fogelin, R. 1994. Pyrrhonian reflections on Knowledge and Justifications, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Hume, D. Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals ed. P. Nidditch, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Kant, Immanuel. 1929. Critique of Pure Reason trans. Norman Kemp Smith. New York: St. Martin's Press
Dicker, Georges. 2004. Kant's theory of knowledge; an analytic introduction. Oxford University Press,
Guyer, Paul (ed.) 2006. The Cambridge Companion to Kant and Modern philosophy. Cambridge University Press
Chatterji, Phanibhusan (1951) Outlines of General Philosophy, Calcutta: Published by the Author
Chakravarty, Sibapada (1992) An Introduction to Philosophy, J.N.Ghose & Sons, Calcutta.
Sharma,R.M (2010). Western and Indian Metaphysics and Epistemology. Surjeet Publication.
Masih, Y.(1990). A Critical History of Modern Philosophy, Delhi: Motilal Banarasidasss
Aaron, R. I. (1952): The Theory of Universals: Oxford.
Edman, I. (ed.) (1956): The Works of Plato: The Modern Library: New York
Sarma, Dr. Ramala (2013): Theory of Universals: N. L. Publications: Guwahati.
Warrington, J., (ed.) (1961) Aristotle’s Metaphysics: Everyman’s Library: London
Hume, D. (1967): A Treatise of Human Nature: Ed. by L. A. Oxford:Selby-Bigge:
Woozley, A. D. (1982): Theory of Knowledge: New Delhi: B. I.Publications
C.W. Morris: Logical Positivism, Pragmatism and Scientific Empiricism, AMS Press, Newyork, 1979
R.Carnap: Philosophy and Logical Syntax, K.Paul, Trench, Trbner &Co., ltd, London, 1935
R.Carnap: Logical Syntax of Language, K.Paul, Trench, Trbner &Co., ltd, London, 1935
R.Carnap: Logical Foundation of the Unity of Science, London: Kegan Paul, 1934
A.J.Ayer: Language, Truth and Logic, Gollang, London, 1946
A.J.Ayer (ed.): Logical Positivism, The Free Press, New York, 1959
A.J.Ayer (ed.): The Revolution in Philosophy, Macmillan,1957
K.Popper: The Logic of Scientific Discovery, Routledge, London, 2003
K.Popper: Conjectures and Refutations, London, England: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. 1972
L.Wittgenstein: Tractatus Logico Philosophicus, Trans by D.F. Pears and B. McGuinness, London: Routledge, 1961
W.P. Alston: Philosophy of Language, N.J. Prentice Hall, 1964
Sen, P.K.&Verma, R.R.(1995) (ed) The Philosophy Of P.F. Strawson. New Delhi: I.C.P.R.
Strawson, P.F.( 1974). Freedom and Resenement and Other Essays. London. Metheun &Co. Ltd.,
Shaffer, J. A. : (1988) Philosophy of Mind. New Delhi. Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd.
John. M. Mackenzie: A Manual of Ethics, Surjeet Publications, Delhi, 04
J.N. Sinha: A Manual of Ethics, New Central Agency, Calcutta, 1986
S. L. Doshi: Modernity, Postmodernity and Neo-Sociological Theories, Rawat Publications,2006.
M. Francis Abraham: Modern Sociological Theory, Oxford University Press,1982
John S. Mackenzie: A Manual of Ethics, Surjeet Publications, 2004
R.N. Sharma: Introduction to Ethics, Surjeet Publications,2006
H.K. Rawat: Sociology, Rawat Publications, 2007

Instructor bio

Dr. Bhaskar Bhattacharyya is Senior Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, India. He received his MA and PhD from Guwahati University, India, in 1999 and 2008, respectively, and served as a Junior Research Fellow of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research in 2001. His areas of interest are philosophy of language and analytic philosophy, and he has published a number of papers in these fields. He is also the author of the book Analytic Philosophy of Wittgenstein. Apart from this he has also edited a book Contemporary Issues in Philosophy, Culture, and Value published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK, in the year 2024 He has also jointly given a MOOC on Essentials of Indian Philosophy on the SWAYAM platform.

Dr. Tejasha Kalita serves as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, located in Guwahati, Assam, India. She achieved her M.A. degree from Guwahati University in Assam, India, in the year 2005. Subsequently, she pursued her Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, also situated in Assam, India, and successfully completed it in 2013. As a Project Associate, she conducted a minor research project on Ethnic Philosophies, funded by the ICPR, at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. Dr. Kalita's academic pursuits and research areas primarily encompass Applied Ethics, Social & Political Philosophy, and Contemporary Indian Philosophy. Her dedication to these fields is evident through her substantial contribution of numerous research papers. She has also jointly given a MOOC on Essentials of Indian Philosophy on the SWAYAM platform.

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