Philosophy of Science (1/3 Course)

This course is designed to cover the basic concepts and methods underlying contemporary scientific thought. The philosophy of science, roughly construed, is the exploration and critical assessment of rival ideas about what the aims and methods of science ought to be. We will survey general issues in scientific methodology and the history of science. Some of the questions we will cover in this course include: What is science? Why is scientific knowledge different from other knowledge claims? How can scientific knowledge be proven? What is scientific methodology, and is there one prevalent scientific methodology? What is a scientific discovery, and how are scientific discoveries made? What is a scientific explanation, and how do we decide what the best explanation is? How do scientific disciplines hang together? What is a scientific controversy and how do controversies get resolved?

With the 1/3 course, you get 7 lectures for $150, which is equivalent to one lecture free (a $25 savings).