Undergraduate Course: Philosophy of Science 1 (PHIL08005)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course introduces students to major topics in philosophy of science, aiming to address the central question: "What makes science special?" No background in either philosophy or science will be assumed. |
| Course description |
The course is organized around philosophical concepts and debates that arise in the attempt to identify, justify, and explain the distinctive features of scientific practice, including:
- the nature of scientific explanation: What makes an explanation a scientific explanation?
- laws of nature: Are there laws that determine what happens in the world?
- the realism vs. antirealism debate: Does science aim at true theories, or merely at theories that get observational predictions right?
- the structure and justification of inductive reasoning: Is it rational to infer from the fact that a large number of people have taken a certain medication with no serious side effects, that you will most likely have no side effects if you take the same medication?
- modeling vs. experimentation: Does it matter whether you perform an experiment in a laboratory, or whether you run a computer simulation instead?
- expert consensus and doubt: Is it ever appropriate to dismiss sceptics or minority views in scientific debates?
Along the way, we will draw on examples from a range of different sciences to illustrate these topics, including: astronomy, physics, biology, geoscience and others.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
153 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Midterm Essay (30%) 1500 words
Final Exam (70%)
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate characteristically philosophical ways of thinking.
- Express philosophical ideas and arguments, especially those characteristic of philosophy of science.
- Critically assess scientific claims from a philosophical standpoint.
- Articulate the key issues in debates about the philosophical status of scientific practice and the empirical relationship between scientific theories and the world.
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/hss/ppls/PPLS-Undergraduate-Student-Hub-home/SitePages/Handbooks-%26-Course-Guides-Philosophy.aspx |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course aims to introduce the philosophy of science and the many questions that surround it. Students will have their beliefs challenged as they question what science is, and they will need to adapt and be open to questioning the status quo and looking for alternative interpretations. They will learn how to engage with scientific literature, deconstruct complex ideas and critically analyse its validity. In the tutorials they will learn how to discuss and debate respectfully. The assessments will develop their writing skills - they will learn how to be concise, write academically and how to articulate their point of view.
Core skills gained on this course:
Critical analysis, challenging personal perspectives and assumptions, confidence engaging with scientific literature, deconstructing complex ideas, not taking arguments at face value - considering alternate interpretations, debating respectfully, public speaking, writing concisely, writing academically, time management. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jo Wolff
Tel: (0131 6)50 3649
Email: jo.wolff@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Catriona Keay
Tel:
Email: ckeay4@ed.ac.uk |
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