Philosophy of Science 3800-FN25-M-OG
The lectures aim to provide a thorough introduction to the main problems in the philosophy of science, covering, among others, the following topics: methodological contexts of discovery, justification, and pursuit; the relationship between theories of scientific rationality and the history of science; the concept of science; the problem of induction; the demarcation problem; the empirical basis of science; observational and theoretical language; logical positivism; falsificationism; I. Lakatos’s theory of scientific research programmes; L. Laudan’s theories of scientific rationality; T. S. Kuhn’s philosophy of science; the controversy between realists and antirealists; the no-miracles argument for realism; the pessimistic meta-induction; the status of theoretical entities according to W. V. O. Quine; B. van Fraassen’s constructive empiricism; the thesis of the underdetermination of theory by data; holism; pragmatic factors and cognitive values; fallibilism; conventionalism; paradoxes of confirmation; N. Goodman’s new riddle of induction; interpretations of probability (including the mathematical, classical, logical, subjective, and frequency interpretations); the role of probability in science; and models of scientific explanation. These issues are illustrated with examples from the history of science. Special emphasis is placed on the analysis of significant events in the history of science from the perspective of various accounts of scientific rationality. The Copernican, chemical, and Darwinian revolutions, as well as the development of classical, relativistic, and quantum mechanics, are examined.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Students:
- possess comprehensive knowledge of the place and role of the philosophy of science in relation to other philosophical disciplines and fields of study, as well as of its subject matter and methodological specificity;
- are familiar with specialist philosophical terminology in Polish;
- have a sound understanding of major concepts, arguments, and trends in contemporary philosophy of science;
- are acquainted with fundamental research methods and argumentative strategies characteristic of the philosophy of science;
- know the appropriate methods for interpreting texts within the field of the philosophy of science.
Students:
- search for, analyze, evaluate, select, and use information from both traditional and electronic sources;
- read and interpret texts addressing issues in the philosophy of science;
- understand oral presentations of philosophical ideas and arguments;
- correctly use terminology specific to the philosophy of science;
- analyze philosophical arguments, identifying their key assumptions and theses;
- recognize relationships between different philosophical claims and theories;
- choose appropriate argumentative strategies, formulate critical arguments, and respond to criticism.
Students:
- are aware of the scope of their knowledge and skills, and recognize the need for continuous learning and professional development;
- are open to new ideas and willing to revise their views in light of available evidence and arguments;
- are able to organize their work effectively and critically evaluate their own progress.
Assessment criteria
Regular attendance is a necessary condition for receiving credit for the lecture course. To obtain a passing grade (3.0), the student must submit a report on a paper assigned by the lecturer. A higher grade requires submitting an essay on a topic closely related to the main themes of the course.
Number of absences: 4
Bibliography
„A Companion to the Philosophy of Science”, W. H. Newton-Smith (ed.), Blackwell Publishers, Malden, MA 2000.
„The Cambridge Companion to Darwin”, Hodge, J., Radick, G. (eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2009.
„The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Science”, P. Humphreys (ed.), Oxford University Press, Oxford 2016.
Ajdukiewicz, K., „Język i poznanie”, PWN, Warszawa 1985, t. I i II.
Bigaj, T. „Wprowadzenie do fizyki dla filozofów”, Teksty Filozoficzne, Warszawa 2024.
Carnap, R., „Wprowadzenie do filozofii nauki”, Fundacja Aletheia, Warszawa 2000.
Chakravartty, A. „A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism: Knowing the Unobservable”, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007.
Chalmers, A. F., „Czym jest to, co zwiemy nauką? Rozważania o naturze, statusie i metodach nauki: wprowadzenie do współczesnej filozofii nauki”, Siedmioróg, Wrocław 1997.
Childers, T., „Philosophy and Probability”, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2013.
van Fraassen, „The Scientific Image”, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1980.
Goodman, N., „Fact, Fiction, and Forecast” , Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 1983.
Grobler, A., „Metodologia nauk”, Wydawnictwo Aureus, Wydawnictwo Znak, Kraków 2006.
Hempel, C. G., „Filozofia nauk przyrodniczych”, Fundacja Aletheia, Warszawa 2001.
- „Aspects of Scientific Explanations and other Essays in the Philosophy of Science”, The Free Press, New York 1965.
Kuhn, T.S., „Dwa bieguny: tradycja i nowatorstwo w badaniach naukowych”, PIW, Warszawa 1985.
- „Struktura rewolucji naukowych”, Fundacja Aletheia, Warszawa 2001.
- „Przewrót kopernikański”, Prószyński i S-ka, Warszawa 2006.
Lakatos, I., „Pisma z filozofii nauk empirycznych”, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 1995.
Laudan, L., „Progress and Its Problems: Towards a Theory of Scientific Growth”, University of California Press, Berkeley - Los Angeles 1978.
- „Science and Values: The Aims of Science and Their Role in Scientific Debates”, University of California Press, Berkeley 1984.
Losee, J., „Wprowadzenie do filozofii nauki”, Prószyński i S-ka, Warszawa 2001.
Newton-Smith, W.H., „The Rationality of Science”, Routledge, London-New York 1999.
Okasha, S., „Philosophy of Science. A Very Short Introduction”, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2016.
Okasha, S., „Philosophy of Biology. A Very Short Introduction”, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2019.
Pietruska-Madej, E., „Metodologiczne problemy rewolucji chemicznej”, PWN, Warszawa 1975.
Popper, K., „Logika odkrycia naukowego”, PWN, Warszawa 1977.
Psillos, S., „Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth”, Routledge, London & New York 1999.
Quine, W.V.O., „Granice wiedzy i inne eseje filozoficzne”, PIW, Warszawa 1986.
Rosenberg, A., „Philosophy of Science. A Contemporary Introduction” (Third Edition), Routledge, New York 2012.
Rowbottom, D. P., „Probability”, Polity Press, Cambridge 2015.
Sady, W., „Spór o racjonalność naukową. Od Poincarégo do Laudana”, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika, Toruń 2013.
Schindler, S., „Theoretical Virtues in Science. Uncovering Reality through Theory”, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2018.
Sprenger, J., Hartmann, S., „Bayesian Philosophy of Science”, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2019.
Watkins, J., „Nauka a sceptycyzm”, PWN, Warszawa 1989.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: