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    Overview

    What is science? How does it differ from other disciplines? Do its methods yield a superior type of knowledge? Why do scientists perform experiments and what can those experiments show?

    The philosophy of science focuses on philosophical issues regarding scientific reasoning, methods and concepts. The topics in this paper include: What makes something a science? How are scientific theories generated? Can theories be proven? What makes a good scientific explanation? How should we understand and evaluate scientific models? What drives theory change in science?

    About this paper

    Paper title Philosophy of Science
    Subject Philosophy
    EFTS 0.15
    Points 18 points
    Teaching period Semester 2 (On campus)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $981.75
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Prerequisite
    One PHIL paper or 72 points
    Restriction
    PHIL 208 and PHIL 325
    Schedule C
    Arts and Music, Science
    Eligibility
    This paper is open to all students. No specific scientific knowledge is assumed.
    Contact

    philosophy@otago.ac.nz

    Teaching staff

    Course Coordinator and Lecturer: Professor Michael LeBuffe

    Other teaching staff to be confirmed

    Paper Structure
    Inductivism:
    • Science as authoritative knowledge, distinguished by the scientific method
    • Logical problems for inductivism and the underdetermination of theory by data
    Popper's Falsificationism:
    • Confirmation and refutation of hypotheses
    • Falsifiability as a test for science
    • The theory-ladenness of observation
    • Theories of scientific explanation
    Kuhn's Scientific Revolutions:
    • Scientific paradigms
    • Incommensurability
    • Does science progress towards truth?
    Lakatos and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes:
    • What are research programmes?
    • Criteria for their progress and degeneration
    Feyerabend's Epistemological Anarchism:
    • Anything goes!
    • Incommensurability again
    • Science and voodoo
    • Science and freedom of the individual
    • Feyerabend's critique of Lakatos
    Scientific Realism:
    • Scientific realism about about theoretical entities
    • Positivism, fictionalism and constructivism
    • What is it that realists believe? Can realism be sustained?
    Assessment:
    • Short-answer test 15%
    • Short essay 15%
    • Final exam 70%
    Teaching Arrangements

    There are two sessions per week: one of 50 minutes, and one of approximately 80 minutes. Each session consists of some lecture and some in-class discussion.

    Textbooks
    What is this Thing Called Science? by Alan Chalmers, University of Queensland Press.

    This is available from the University Book Shop (UBS) and as an Amazon eBook.
    Graduate Attributes Emphasised
    Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
    Learning Outcomes

    Students who successfully complete the paper will acquire:

    1. The ability to present and assess philosophical arguments (both written and verbal) to an acceptable standard, especially in the area of the philosophy of science
    2. A broad awareness and grasp of what is at issue in debates in the philosophy of science
    3. A demonstrated ability to explain and assess philosophical positions and arguments in their own words and to think critically and independently about them
    4. The ability to develop and analyse philosophical reasoning collaboratively in group discussion

    Timetable

    Semester 2

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    Blackboard

    Lecture

    Stream Days Times Weeks
    Attend
    A1 Monday 10:00-10:50 29-35, 37-42
    Wednesday 09:00-10:50 29-35, 37-42
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