1.1 An Introduction to General Philosophy

What this lecture covers

This opening lecture introduces Oxford's General Philosophy course, which covers eight core topics in epistemology (the theory of knowledge) and metaphysics (the nature of things). Millican explains that the point of the course is not just to learn these topics but to learn how philosophy itself is done: the kinds of arguments and considerations philosophers bring to bear on a problem.

He then explains the course's historical approach. Most topics are introduced through readings from the early modern period (17th-18th century), because that is when a scientific worldview began replacing a largely religious one, and many of today's central philosophical problems first took shape. Understanding that history, he argues, is necessary to follow modern discussions that still use labels like 'Cartesian dualism', and it reveals deep interconnections between topics that get lost when they are studied in isolation.

Key ideas

• Epistemology: the theory of knowledge, asking what we can know and how we can know it.
• Metaphysics: the study of the nature of things.
• Historical grounding: seven of the eight course topics are introduced through early modern (17th-18th century) readings.
• Interconnection of topics: positions on one philosophical question often commit you to positions on others, which is easiest to see through historical debates between figures.
• Avoiding present-day blinkers: looking at past debates can reveal points that are overlooked in current discussions.

Before you watch

• No prior philosophy background is assumed; this is the first lecture of the course.
• It helps to know that the course syllabus includes: skepticism, knowledge, perception, primary and secondary qualities, induction, free will, mind and body, and personal identity.

Check your understanding

1. Why does the course introduce most of its topics through 17th- and 18th-century texts rather than purely contemporary discussions?
2. What distinction does Millican draw between epistemology and metaphysics?
3. Why might understanding older philosophical debates help you evaluate modern ones?