PHIL 260

Philosophy of Science

Please note: this is archived course information from 2017 for PHIL 260.

Description

The picture we learn in school of “the scientific method” tends to greatly simplify what science is, how it works and the logic of how we learn from it. The philosophy of science is concerned with developing a deep understanding of all of those points.

In this course we will examine questions like the following: What distinguishes science from “pseudoscience?” How does science explain the world? Why should we feel licensed to believe in things we cannot directly observe? Do scientific theories give us literally true accounts of how the world is, or are they just useful tools for predicting and making sense of things?

We will study these sorts of questions, and others, by reading and discussing influential philosophical accounts of science and examining cases from the history of science and contemporary scientific research.

Availability 2017

Not taught in 2017

Lecturer(s)

Lecturer(s) Dr Emily Parke

Points

PHIL 260: 15 points

Prerequisites

30 points in Philosophy or 60 points

Restrictions

PHIL 360