This course offers an introduction to key issues and debates in the philosophy of science, examining how scientific knowledge is developed, justified, and understood. Students will explore questions about what distinguishes science from other forms of inquiry, how scientific theories relate to evidence and observation, and what it means for science to offer objective or truthful representations of the world. Topics include the problem of induction, the nature of scientific explanation, the structure of theories, theory change and scientific revolutions, and ongoing debates between realism and anti-realism. The course also considers the social and ethical dimensions of scientific practice, including the influence of values, gender, and culture in the production and interpretation of scientific knowledge. Readings will include both classic works—by philosophers such as Hume, Popper, Kuhn, and Feyerabend—and contemporary perspectives that connect philosophical analysis to developments in modern science. Emphasis will be placed on cultivating the ability to think critically about scientific reasoning and to engage thoughtfully with the broader intellectual and social contexts of science.
One prior RPH/PRT course.