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PHIL 110AIntroduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality

Units
0.50
Faculty
Arts
Subject
Philosophy

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Students taking the course will engage with prominent issues in metaphysics (theory of reality) and epistemology (theory of knowledge). Issues in metaphysics will include the question of God’s existence, the problem of freedom and causal determinism, the relationship between mind and body, and the nature of persons (i.e., personal identity). Issues in epistemology include the problem of skepticism, the distinction between empiricism and rationalism, reasoning from experience (induction and explanation), and our knowledge of the external world. Throughout the course, emphasis is given to the role of philosophical argumentation in addressing the issues covered. Students will develop their skills in analyzing and evaluating philosophical arguments and work toward effectively communicating their learning through written work.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
    • PHIL101 - Challenging Ideas: An Introduction to Philosophy (0.50)

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 08138620 / 50Online or by arrangement
LEC 701149135 / 9999Online or by arrangement

Resources

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Reviewed on UW Flow

73% liked it70% easy49% useful

From 44 ratings and 7 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • (Taken Online) This course was not what I was expecting. I was surprised at the lack of diversity once we got into more modern material at the end of the course. Not once was a woman mentioned, nor anyone who wasn't a American/European white guy. Not sure who created the lectures but they were excellent. However, Belinda Alievska was a bit of a hard marker. High expectations for a first year philosophy course.

    Apr 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Didnt care for this class. Originally was enrolled in Phil 101 with Gregoire and she was a nightmare so i switched to this online class just to try it out. Content was decently interesting, but i did struggle to do well on the graded material/essays. This class is a bit tough if you dont already have a good grasp of philosophy/if you simply follow the lectures as I was never able to do super well on the essays even though I felt i met the criteria. Generally bird if you dont expect the highest grades.

    Jan 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Very easy course, pretty interesting concepts that are presented if you're into philosophy. Assignments are relatively easy as well.

    Dec 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • The course was straightforward and with some studying it is not hard to get a good mark. Teacher had some bias for sure however

    Feb 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • This course covered material that could have been easily found by a simple Wikipedia search.
    It provided nothing beyond what an introductory high school philosophy course would cover.

    Dec 2019 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

33 posts and comments in 32 threads mention PHIL 110A, December 2012 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

Overloading 1B Courses 1 point, 6 comments

u/4yan_6: “… However, I am still interested in taking the electives I currently have on my schedule, which are MTHEL131 and PHIL110A. This means that if I were to add STAT to my schedule, I would be looking at a total of 3.75 units (cuz of CS136L and PD1). …”

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Spring 2023

Spring 2022

Winter 2022

Fall 2021

Fall 2020

How are PSCI 150 or PHIL 110A as electives? 2 points, 2 comments

u/Phylamedeian: “Title. Are they a lot of commitment for CS 1B? What's the workload? How much essay writing is there? Thanks!”

u/tendstofortytwo: “My roommate took PHIL 110A in 1A, he found it super interesting but also super hard to score in. Despite putting in a lot of effort into reading and essays, he only managed 70%, and he had much better grades in all the MATH/CS subjects. …”

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Spring 2020

Good philosophy courses for someone who's new to philosophy? Preferably with minimal writing/low time commitment. 3 points, 5 comments

“I've never formally studied philosophy, but I love listening to people talk about it! I thought it might be worth taking a course on philosophy to give myself a break from all my biology courses and …”

u/DakotaDoggo: “Im currently taking PHIL 110A and 145, both courses are gret, tho 24% of the final grade for 145 is participation. Neither class takes up too much of my time (im an MNS major) and i rly enjoy both classes, hoping to finish a minor. …”

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Fall 2019

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar