Philosophy of Science

(3-6 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course offers a philosophical perspective on the nature of scientific knowledge and the place of the sciences in society. Examples are drawn from a range of disciplines, over a period extending from classical natural philosophies to the present day. The course examines how theories are tested and changed; the nature of causation, laws, and explanations; whether science provides an increasingly accurate account of reality, and problems in scientific and biomedical ethics. HG 202320 - 3 credits The course will give an overview over recent developments in Anglophone philosophy of biology. By including a recent history of the philosophy of biology, students will also learn about the past of the discipline. The focus of the course will be Darwin's evolutionary theory as well as its relevance, and its limits, for dealing with traditional philosophical problems, such as the body-mind-problem and the evolution of moral behavior. A paper of twenty pages is needed to get credits.