Postgraduate Course: Philosophy, Science, and Religion 1: The Physical World (Online) (DIVI11071)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will introduce students, at an advanced level, to key contemporary questions and debates at the intersection of philosophy, science and religion. It provides the necessary background for graduate work in these areas. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
This course (along with its sister course, 'Philosophy, Science and Religion 2: Life and Mind') will explore philosophical aspects in the debate between science and religion, and the ways in which philosophy has mediated. This course will focus on the physical sciences and their metaphysical implications.
Outline Content:
The course will focus on three different fields of scientific research (cosmology, quantum physics, and earth sciences) and ask, what metaphysical interpretations-if any-research in these fields has. This will then allow us to compare these metaphysical interpretations of scientific theories to interpretations of religious text as complementary or competing strategies for making sense of the world around us.
Philosophical work on laws of nature, causation, naturalism and related topics will be introduced to help facilitate the discussion and to provide students with advanced tools to engage in debates concerning particular scientific theories.
Student Learning Experience:
Students will watch prerecorded lectures and have the chance to join online live tutorial groups. There will also be online discussion boards.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 11,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Courses will primarily be assessed through the submission of an essay of no more than 3000 words on a topic set by the course organiser. This will account for 85% of the student's course mark.
The remaining 15% of the final course mark will be determined by the student's successful participation in the online activities associated with the course, such as the completion of quizzes, the preparation of an online presentation, or contributions to discussion boards and wikis. |
| Feedback |
Students have the opportunity to submit a formative essay by week 6 deadline on Turnitin via Learn. The essay cannot be draft of summative essay but it can be on the same topic. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate good understanding of particular scientific theories and their implications for philosophy and religion
- Demonstrate analytical skills and philosophical acumen in written and oral contributions
- Engage critically with key textual sources
- Engage constructively in cross-disciplinary conversations
- Demonstrate an openness to personal growth through a commitment to dialogue across intellectual and cultural differences
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Reading List
Representative Reading List:
Baggott, Jim. Beyond measure: Modern Physics, Philosophy, and the Meaning of Quantum Theory, OUP 2004.
Beebee, Helen. The non-governing conception of laws of nature. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 61:517-594, 2000.
Bird, Alexander. Philosophy of Science. Routledge, 1998.
Carroll, John, 1990, 'The Humean Tradition,' The Philosophical Review, 99: 185-219.
Cartwright, Nancy.: 1997, 'Where Do the Laws of Nature Come From?' Dialectica 51, 65-78.
De Cruz, Helen. Religion and Science, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017.
Harris, Mark. The nature of creation: examining the bible and science. Acumen, 2013.
Kragh, Helge. Physics and Cosmology, in: Buchwald, J.Z and Fox, R. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the History of Physics. OUP 2013
Loewer, Barry., 1996, 'Humean Supervenience,' Philosophical Topics, 24: 101-126.
Manson, Neil. The Fine-Tuning Argument. Philosophy Compass. Wiley, 2009.
Northcott, Michael. Eschatology in the Anthropocene. In: Hamilton, C., Gemenne, F. and C. Bonneuil (eds.) The Anthropocene and the Global Environmental Crisis. Routledge, 2015.
Santana, Carlos. Waiting for the Anthropocene. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 70(4), 2019.
Sellars, Wilfrid. Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man, in: Science, Perception, and Reality, 1963.
Smeenk, Chris. Philosophy of Cosmology, in: Battermann, R. (ed) The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Physics. OUP 2013
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Philosophy,Theology,Quantum Mechanics,Cosmology,Science and Religion |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Bethany Sollereder
Tel:
Email: bsollere@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Suzanne Strath
Tel: (0131 6)517000
Email: Suzanne.Strath@ed.ac.uk |
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