Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
10th December 2018
Philosophy of science is a sub-field of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. Philosophers of science actively study questions such is: What is science? What distinguish science from non-science? Is there something like “the (unique) scientific method” which should be applied to all fields of science, from physics to social sciences?
Aim of the course
To give participants an introduction to the philosophy of science. To teach what is considered to be science, what tools and questions are used in science and how to access the validity of scientific questions, hypotheses and data.
By the end of the course, the participants should be able to:
- describe what epistemology is
- discuss what is science
- discuss the difference between science and non-science
- question the epistemological status of different propositions or theories
Target group
PhD candidates; the group is limited to 20 participants
Prerequisites
This course has no prerequisites other than working knowledge of English
Duration of the course and workload
4 hours
Location
GIGA B34 +5
Educator
Prof. Laurence Bouquiaux (Faculty of Law, Political Science and Criminology, University of Liège)
The course schedule
9:00 - 13:00 Lectures and discussions
Additional literature to read
A collection of texts will be made available on-line
