3 Answers
+ 10
It's actually the other way around. You learn Python basics first before getting into Raspberry Pi.
+ 6
This e-book on RPi is available today for free at packtpub:
https://www.packtpub.com/hardware-and-creative/raspberry-pi-example
+ 2
You definitely can learn and program it without a pi. There's an IDLE for desktops and more IDE's.