Philosophy
An Inquiry into Reality, Knowledge and the Good
with Vivek Radhakrishnan
About this course
Philosophy reflects on foundational questions. These questions arise every day, but we rarely examine them carefully. When was the last time you inquired about the nature of reality? Or about whether our knowledge is truly indubitable? Similarly, have you wondered what makes one moral judgment right and another wrong? We encounter these questions frequently, but we rarely reflect on them systematically. Philosophers are those who have been trained to engage professionally with these issues. Drawing on their training and on the philosophical tradition, they investigate fundamental questions about human understanding and experience. This course introduces central philosophical ideas, enabling you to transform everyday existence into an intellectual engagement. Instructor: Vivek Radhakrishnan Lecture timing: Saturday, 11:30 am Weekly Assignment: Write a short note (150 words) on the assigned weekly readings by Tuesday. Comment on the notes shared by two other participants by Thursday. Final paper: A short paper to be presented at a final symposium held in the last week of the course.
What you'll learn
- • Understand fundamental philosophical questions about reality, knowledge, and ethics
- • Explore metaphysics, epistemology, and moral philosophy
- • Develop critical thinking and logical reasoning skills
- • Engage with classical texts from Western and Indian philosophy
- • Apply philosophical methods to contemporary issues including AI and consciousness
Prerequisites
No prior knowledge required. Open to all adults.
Course Structure
Week 1: What is Philosophy?
The word "philosophy" technically means love (philia) of wisdom (sophia). Indian words like darśana, mĕyyiyal, ānvīkṣikī, and abhidhamma also refer to philosophy. Despite these different terms, the common goal of philosophy as a discipline is to wonder, question, defend, and practice.
Week 2: What is Reality?
Is the world that appears to us real? What is the fundamental nature of reality? Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that focuses on such questions. It studies the nature of existence, essence, change, first principles, universals and identity.
Week 3: What Do We Know?
What is knowledge? How do we know anything, and can we be sure of what we know? Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge. It deals with beliefs, justifications, truth, doubt, and means of knowing.
Week 4: What is the Good?
Our moral judgements either concern actions or character. But different people have different, and often conflicting moral opinions. How do we, then, philosophically approach ethical dilemmas? And what differentiates the 'ethical' from the 'non-ethical' dimensions of our lives?
Week 5: Why Should We Choose the Good?
Ethics is not just about what is right and wrong. It is also about what makes actions right and wrong. Is an action moral because it follows rules, or because of its consequences? This week, we look at Eudaimonism, deontology and consequentialism as three key responses to the normative questions on morality.
Week 6: How Should We Think?
Logic is a branch of philosophy that studies the rules of reasoning and thinking. Reason is a cognitive faculty, and the process of reasoning involves a conscious movement from the given to the unknown. Rules are implicit in this process, and to follow them makes our thinking valid and sound.
Week 7: Value of Philosophy Today: Minds, Machines & Morals
Our utility-driven mindset assumes that philosophical thinking is a waste of time. However, it is philosophy, and not the established sciences, that is actively interested in the pressing moral concerns of the day. Recent trends in artificial intelligence and consciousness studies also demand the service of philosophy.
Week 8: Final Symposium
Participants will present a short paper on a philosophical problem. Prompts will be provided in the sixth week of the course.
Fee options
Tier 1 — ₹13,800.00
2 months / 8 weeks
Tier 2 — ₹20,800.00
Everything in Tier 1 + Two individual mentorship sessions with the Faculty