16037
Seminar
Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
Barbara Vetter
Information for students
The class will be held in English.
Additional information / Pre-requisites
The seminar requires no previous knowledge of the topic; a basic understanding of logic (as covered in the seminars on "Philosophisches Argumentieren") will be helpful but not obligatory.
Comments
What is science, and what is distinctive about its method? How is scientific knowledge achieved, and how stable is it? How does scientific theory-building relate to observation, and how do scientific explanations work? And what do we learn from our best sciences about the structure of the world?
In this seminar, we will approach these and other questions by reading and discussing classic texts in the philosophy of science from the 20th century, beginning with the "logical positivists" who dominated philosophy of science in the early 20th century and continuing with authors such as Popper, Kuhn, and Quine up to current philosophers such as Nancy Cartwright.
close
Suggested reading
Readings will be made available through Blackboard. Students who would like to get an impression of the topic beforehand are recommended S. Okasha, "Philosophy of Science. A Very Short Introduction" (OUP 2002/2016). close
13 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Fri, 2025-04-25 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-05-02 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-05-09 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-05-16 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-05-23 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-05-30 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-06-06 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-06-13 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-06-20 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-06-27 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-07-04 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-07-11 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2025-07-18 10:00 - 12:00