In this module, we will be interested not in what we should know about nature, but more in how we get to know what we want to know about it and how we explain phenomena in nature. The module aims to add to your knowledge of science from a methodological and philosophical point of view and also to sharpen your general critical thinking skills.
Join us, if you want to know what is good science in contrast to bad science (e.g. parapsychology or pre-Copernican astronomy) or pseudoscience (young earth creationism, astrology), if you what to know what do we mean by the scientific method in general terms and how science develops in actual life. You will be introduced to some classic theories of the development of science. You will also have a chance to think about what makes a method and an explanation scientific and likely to succeed and what the pitfalls of some of these practices are.
The module aims at a general audience, but it is highly relevant for those interested in: philosophy, the life sciences, physics and the philosophy of science itself. You should expect that a basic level of logic and formal thinking will be part of our discussions and we will include discussions concerning modern evolutionary theory and some more basic examples of classical physics. However, only a minimal understanding will be presupposed of these subjects.