| Time | Days | Location | Instructor | GER | Credit | OPUS Class Number | Syllabus (Tentative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2:30pm-3:45pm | TuTh | Callaway Center S105 | Richard Patterson. | 4 | 2800 | TBA. |
The course will consider a series of questions about science, including: What does science explain, and how does it do this? How are scientific explanations different from other sorts of explanation? Can science describe or explain everything, or are such matters as the nature of human consciousness, the ultimate nature of reality, or the origin and nature of morality, forever beyond its reach? We will consider these and other questions not only through contemporary philosophical writing about science, but also in light of select aspects of the history of science. Thus we will read excerpts from Plato, Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, et al., as well as modern writers on science such as Poincare and Popper.
Readings: Almost all readings (and perhaps all) will be available on Blackboard. Those who wish to plan for book expenses should know that any books required will cost at most $40 total.
The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.