Phil 423 History and Philosophy of Science

Derek Haderlie

Many believe that the modern sciences have had greater success in telling us about the world than any other approach to learning about the world. What justifies this belief? What are the methods that scientists use and are they good methods? The philosophy of science examines these and other questions and issues that arise from the methods and results of science. In this course, we will explore one central question: In general, what makes a good explanation of some phenomena? To do this, we will study debates over the methods and forms of explanation that scientists use.