Advanced Studies in the Philosophy of Natural Sciences A

lfilo2240  2019-2020  Louvain-la-Neuve

Advanced Studies in the Philosophy of Natural Sciences A
Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h
Q1

This biannual learning unit is being organized in 2019-2020
Teacher(s)
Pence Charles;
Language
French
Prerequisites
Basic instruction in philosophy of natural science ; Reading knowledge of English sufficient to allow for study of contemporary texts in the philosophy of natural science.
Main themes
Philosophical analysis of contemporary scientific practices in accordance with a two-fold approach. Methodologically, to ask questions about the applicability and the limits of validity of scientific explanations, relative to other approaches to reality. In terms of content, to learn to see the contributions of natural science as a more general means of comprehending particular phenomena.
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 Upon completion of the course the student should be able
  • to pose critical questions about the importance and the limits of the validity of natural science
  • to connect scientific discourse with other forms of discourse about the same phenomenon
 

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
This course will take the form of an advanced survey of philosophy of science, designed to allow the student to pursue further high-level study on specific topics. We will start with a brief historical overview of the philosophy of science, then consider a number of classic problems in philosophy of science, such as the debate over scientific explanation, the dispute between scientific realists and anti-realists, and questions about the relationship between philosophy and scientific practice.
Teaching methods
Teaching language: English
Reading knowledge and at least passive comprehension of English will be necessary. Students are free to pose questions and discussion in French if they wish, and some supplementary readings will also be French-language.
Evaluation methods
Assessment will include: (1) the attendance and participation of students in the course, (2) leading our discussion for one meeting of the course, and (3) a written examination.
Bibliography
Toutes les lectures seront distribuées par le site web du Pr. Pence.
Faculty or entity
EFIL


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in Ethics

Master [120] in Environmental Science and Management

Master [60] in Philosophy

Certificat universitaire en philosophie (approfondissement)

Master [120] in Philosophy