Postgraduate Course: Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Science MSc (PHIL11121)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Philosophy |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course, consisting of lectures and seminars, will be structured around three core topics in contemporary philosophy of science. Causation, laws of nature, and natural kinds are deeply interconnected metaphysical notions. Is causation an objective feature of nature? Are there natural kinds carving nature at its joints? And, to what extent do our laws of nature express causal dispositions, and are read off from natural kinds? In the first part of this course, we focus on causation with an emphasis on causal republicanism and causal realism. In the second part, we turn to natural kinds in relation to scientific essentialism and conceptual change. And in part three, we explore laws of nature with a focus on dispositional essentialism, non-governing conception of laws, and ceteris paribus laws.
Shared with undergraduate course Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Science (PHIL10050). |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | G.06 Dugald Stewart Building | 1-11 | | | | 11:10 - 13:00 | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Thursday, 11:10 - 13:00, Zone: Central. G.06 Dugald Stewart Building |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| By the end of this course, students will have acquired good knowledge of the contemporary debate surrounding these three core areas in contemporary philosophy of science. They will also have improved their critical skills via essay writing and via informal discussions and oral presentations in the seminars. |
Assessment Information
| One essay of 2,500 words at the end of semester (worth 100%) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Michela Massimi
Tel: (0131 6)50 3662
Email: Michela.Massimi@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2012 The University of Edinburgh - 31 August 2012 4:33 am
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