PHL324 Philosophy of Science

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Traditionally, this course has consisted in an examination of how philosophers have regarded science, especially the natural sciences: physics, chemistry, and biology. However, it has also become important to consider how scientists themselves regard their own work, especially since this often disagrees with what philosophers say about science. Readings will therefore be taken from well known philosophers of science such as Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Feyerabend, Holton, and A. W. Moore, and from the writings of scientists themselves, such as Darwin, Maxwell, Mach, Poincarré, Einstein, Heisenberg, Eiseley, Schrödinger, and Hawking.