PHIL203

Dinosaurs, Quarks and Quasars: The Philosophy of Science

15 points

Not offered 2023, offered in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

For further information see Humanities

Description

Science studies the world, but what discipline studies science itself -- what it is, how it works, and why it works so well? Answer: the philosophy of science. Questions tackled in this course include: how do scientists develop theories, test them, and adjudicate between rival explanations of natural phenomena? Does the careful application of the scientific method lead to truth and certainty? Do unobservable entities, like quarks, really exist, or are they merely useful fictions? And should scientists try to show their theories are false instead of trying to show they are true? The course will be of interest to anyone fascinated by science, its history, its aims, and its methods, and will be value to scientists-in-training in providing a broad perspective on the extraordinary philosophical puzzles and perplexities hovering over all scientific inquiry.

Prerequisites

Any 15 points at 100 level in PHIL, or
any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA or the BSc.

Restrictions

PHIL223, PHIL303