HHF 9030: Philosophy of Science (2018)

Lecturer: Amirouche Moktefi (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia)

Contact: Office SOC 435 / amirouche.moktefi@ttu.ee
Level: PhD studies
Credits: 4 ECTS

Description: Science acquired in modern society a central status that makes its claims better
regarded in public debates than any other kind of discourse or argument. This scientific authority
has historical roots, philosophical justifications and social implications. The aim of the course is
to discuss what stands as a scientific fact/argument, what makes it so robust and what use can be
made of it.
The course opens with an introduction to philosophy in general and to the philosophy of science
in particular. The first sessions will be devoted to arguments. Students will be asked to develop
and assess arguments. For the purpose, some key concepts of informal and formal logic will be
introduced (truth, validity, soundness). Then the course will turn to scientific reasoning and
practice. Some central concepts in philosophy of science (knowledge, hypothesis, paradigms,
explanation, causality) will be discussed. Finally the course will explore issues connected to the
applications and implications of science and technology in society (expertise, governance, ethics
of science and technology, science popularization).
Practicalities: Students will regularly be asked to exercise their reasoning skills through concrete
examples. Therefore, students are expected to attend the course with appropriate material: sheets
of paper or notebook, and a pen or pencil. The teacher can be contacted by email at any time.
Students should write an appropriate message and indicate clearly the title of the course and the
object of their message. If needed, students can also find the teacher in his office SOC 435.
Assessment: Students are expected to write 3 short individual essays (2 pages each). The topics
and deadlines are indicated during the course. Students need to pass each of the essays. Final
grades are attributed from 0 (fail) to 5 (highest grade).

Recommended readings: Good accompanying readings would be:

Okasha, S. (2002), Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press
Hurley, P. J. (2015), A Concise Introduction to Logic, 12th ed., Cengage
Johansson, L.-G. (2016), Philosophy of Science for Scientists, Springer
Olsen, J. K. B. et al. (2009), A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology, Wiley-Blackwell
Bucchi, M. (2004), Science in Society: An Introduction to Social Studies of Science, Routledge

Other short texts are progressively suggested during the course.

Sources, especially online-sources, should be used with caution.
For an introduction to various philosophical topics, we recommend the online Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/