This course offers an intercultural and decolonial introduction to philosophy. Traditionally, philosophy is mostly taught in one of two ways: historically, tracing how ideas have developed over time, or systematically, introducing core areas such as metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology. Both approaches, however, tend to focus on Anglo-European traditions and leave much else aside—from Indian and Chinese to African and Indigenous philosophies.
Our aim is to broaden that perspective. We include philosophical approaches from around the world and highlight contributions by women and other underrepresented voices. We also reflect on how philosophy is shaped by history, language, and power, including colonial legacies and social inequalities. Understanding these connections matters especially in today’s globalised world, where migration, intercultural encounter, and responsible engagement with otherness are part of everyday life.
The course combines historical and systematic approaches. You will follow the development of key ideas while also engaging with central areas such as epistemology and metaphysics, questions of knowledge and questions of being. Along the way, we draw on methods and insights from different traditions, inviting you to think not only about what philosophy says but also about how it is presented.
By the end of the course, you will have more than an introduction to philosophy: you will have learned to approach it critically, to weigh different perspectives, and to see how philosophical thinking connects to the world around you.
