136-220 Philosophy of Science

Note

All BSc students, except those enrolled in the BA/BSc combined course and the BASc course, can only receive 12.5 points science credit at the 200-level for this subject.

Credit Points

Prerequisites

Normally 12.5 points of first-year HPS for Arts students or 75 points of first-year Science subjects.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject will explore the history and logic of such major scientific theories as Newtonian mechanics or evolution. It will critically examine both scientists' actual behaviour and philosophical accounts of how science should be done. Students who complete this subject should: acquire an understanding of such philosophical/scientific issues as 'what is the nature of space and time'; can biology be 'reduced' to physics?', or 'do good scientists sometimes ignore scientific evidence?'; acquire an understanding of how method and theories in the sciences have changed over the centuries; gain a background in the philosophy and history of science on which to base further study in the area.

Assessment

Written work totalling 5000 words.