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Apr 16, 2026
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PHL 3207 - Philosophy of Science3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits
Course Description
This course introduces students to some of the central philosophical themes, topics, and questions concerning the nature of scientific inquiry, with respect to both science in general and specific natural and social sciences. What distinguishes science as a mode of inquiry, and does it have a distinctive methodology that demarcates it from other non-scientific or pseudo-scientific modes of inquiry? Is science a privileged mode of inquiry, representing the ideal of an impartial and objective source of knowledge? Or is science infused with values and conceptual frameworks that are themselves contingent? Should the theoretical claims made within the sciences be interpreted realistically-that is, literally-or merely instrumentally? What is the nature and structure of scientific theorizing and explanation? Students will consider these questions and others through the close and critical reading of challenging philosophical texts, reconstruction and evaluation of philosophical arguments, and independent reflection and reasoning on topics and positions of philosophical significance concerning science.
Prereq: None
Note: None
This course meets the following Raider Core CLO Requirement: Exhibit Curiosity
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of some of the key themes and questions in philosophy of science
- Exhibit familiarity with key theories and positions in philosophy of science (e.g., scientific realism, instrumentalism, Occam’s razor)
- Articulate philosophical questions and positions within philosophy of science clearly and precisely, explaining their significance, context, and further implications
- Reconstruct and analyze philosophical arguments within philosophy of science in a way that displays evidence of clear, critical, and precise thinking
- Engage in comparative analysis and evaluation of different philosophical perspectives on key topics in philosophy of science
- Engage in independent philosophical inquiry, dialogue, and argument through both discussion and written work
- Recognize the bearing that philosophical inquiry into the nature of science might have on the real-world practice of science and the public understanding of it (e.g., acceptability of climate change models), and vice versa
- Identify the roles that social, ethical, and political values might play in scientific inquiry
Prerequisites by Topic
Course Topics
- The demarcation problem (e.g., the evolution-creationism teaching controversies)
- Scientific methodology (e.g., hypothetical reasoning, empirical confirmation, and disconfirmation, parsimony, etc.)
- Scientific realism and anti-realism
- The nature of scientific explanation
- The problem of induction
- Laws of nature
- The nature of causation and its role in scientific explanation
- Special topics in philosophy of physics
- Special topics in philosophy of biology
- Special topics in the social sciences
- Science and society (e.g., public understanding of science, science and public health)
- Values in science, including perspectives from feminist philosophy of science
Coordinator
Dr. Andrew McAninch
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