PHL2210/IAS2005

Science: its nature and development

John Bigelow

8 points - 3 hours per week - First semester - Clayton, Peninsula - Prerequisites: First-year sequence in philosophy or first-year level subjects to the value of 12 points in each of a science and a humanities subject; students with an appropriate background in philosophy, science or engineering may be accepted at the discretion of the subject coordinator. Students enrolling in this subject may not also take IAS2001 - The department also offers PHL2210/IAS2005 in flexible delivery mode to students on any campus in any semester. If you are interested in taking this subject in flexible delivery mode, please contact the department.

Objectives On successfully completing the subject students will have gained knowledge of the historical development of theories in the three major areas of science and will have reflected on philosophical debates about the nature of progress in science, its objectivity and social value. They will also have developed enhanced communicative skills for the presentation of scientific and technical material to non-expert audiences.

Synopsis The subject will look at the growth of scientific theories from the standpoint of three humanities disciplines - history, philosophy and sociology - using a case-study method. On completing the subject students will have an acquaintance with several important developments in the history of science, and have thought about issues in the philosophy of science and the sociology of knowledge. They will also have read Thomas Kuhn's The structure of scientific revolutions, and so have encountered one of the most important books on science written in the 20th century. Three case studies will be presented. (i) The Copernican revolution in astronomy and physics. This study will introduce issues about the nature and confirmation of scientific theories, and consider the interplay of scientific, philosophical and ideological issues in an historical setting. (ii) Theories of generation: Harvey to Mendel. This study will consider the development of theories of reproduction and genetics in the period before Darwin and Mendel. Again issues about the nature of scientific theory and their relation to other cultural influences will be explored: in this case the possible influences of patriarchy on scientific theory. (iii) The development of views about inheritance and human nature in recent biology. This case study will look at the impact of evolutionary biology on theories of human nature, particularly concerning reproductive strategies; the study will raise issues about the social significance of scientific work. In addition students will undertake an individual case study under supervision.

Assessment There will be six assessment tasks, each having to be completed successfully before advancing to the next. Students will have a right to repeat any task in which they have not achieved a satisfactory grade level and may designate a target grade level, between pass and distinction. Two tasks will be essay-style reports on research projects taken in two of the case-study areas, length 1500-2000 words (25% each). One task will require a presentation in class or over the web (10%). The remaining two tasks will require short answers, maximum 600 words (10% each). There will be a one-hour examination (20%) designed to act as a verifier that work submitted through the program is the student's own.

Prescribed texts

Kuhn T S The structure of scientific revolutions U Chicago P

Recommended texts

Drake S (ed.) Discoveries and opinions of Galileo Anchor Books,
Dawkins R The selfish gene OUP
Gasking E Investigations into generation: 1651-1828 Hutcheson
Koestler A The sleepwalkers Penguin
Kuhn T S The copernican revolution Harvard U P
Ridley M The red queen: Sex and the evolution of human nature Penguin

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