NWI-FFIL101
Introduction Philosophy and Ethics of Science
Course infoSchedule
Course moduleNWI-FFIL101
Credits (ECTS)3
CategoryBA (Bachelor)
Language of instructionDutch, English
Offered byRadboud University; Faculty of Science; Institute for Science, Innovation and Society;
Lecturer(s)
Coordinator		dr. L. Consoli
Other course modules lecturer
Lecturer		dr. L. Consoli
Other course modules lecturer
Contactperson for the course		dr. L. Consoli
Other course modules lecturer
Academic year2017
Period
KW1  (04/09/2017 to 12/11/2017)
Starting block
KW1/  KW2
Course mode
full-time
Remarks-
Registration using OSIRISYes
Course open to students from other facultiesYes
Pre-registrationNo
Waiting listNo
Placement procedure-
Aims
  • Students are able to place science and scientific practices in a broader intellectual context
  • Students are able to reflect critically about the foundations of science
  • Students are able to reflect about their own actions as scientists
  • Students are able to formulate and justify a standpoint about questions pertaining the philosophy and ethics of science formuleren
Content
In this course we shall discuss some fundamental questions about the philosophy and the ethics of the (natural) sciences. The course will be given twice, with a slightly different content (zie further in the description)
Topics:
  • What is science? Wat is scientific knowledge? What are the epistemologic properties that make scientific knowledge 'special' (if any)?
  • Models and theories: what does it mean to make a model of reality? What is the relationship between the model and the material entities?
  • Is mathematics a science?
  • Popper/Kuhn/Lakatos
  • Ethics and morality: which models van we use to analyse / justify moral decisions and actions?
  • Scientific integrity: who is the 'good' scientist? Examples of research misconduct
Literature
See Balckboard

Teaching formats

• 1.5 hours guided individual project work
• 16 hours lecture
• 2 hours group project work without guidance
• 12 hours individual project work without guidance
• 52.5 hours individual study period

Additional comments
The course is given twice. The content of the course varies slightly between the two 'variants'. Version 1: the accent is more on foundational aspects and the relationship between mathematics and its formalism and the natural sciences. Version 2: the accent is more on epistemological aspects of scientific experiments and the theory-experiment relationship. Fundamental concepts in the philosophy and ethics of science are provided in both versions.

Version 1 will be taught in Dutch, version 2 will be taught in English

Topics
• A short history of science
• The scientific method(s)
• Deduction, induction, abduction
• Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos
• Ethical models
• Scientific integrity and research misconduct

Test information
The students will be asked to write a final paper and 2 short commands. One of the short commands is a group assignment. There is no exam. The short assignments count for 50% of the final grade, the final assignment for the remaining 50%.

Required materials
To be announced
Literature will be distributed on Blackboard.

Instructional modes
Course occurrence

Lecture

Project

Zelfstudie

Tests
Tentamen
Test weight1
Test typeEssay
OpportunitiesBlock KW1, Block KW3