Philosophy of Science (Online)



Overview

What is science, and how does it work? Are scientists in the business of discovering objective truths? Many think that is obvious, but others argue science can only produce models with predictive and explanatory power, not truths. Are there really such things as laws of nature and cause and effect? What, at an essential level, do we mean when we talk about scientific methods and scientific explanations? Philosophy of science addresses these questions directly, by taking a step back and exploring what can be taken for granted in the practice of science.

The first half of this course focuses on how to distinguish science from pseudoscience, which turns out to be an unexpectedly challenging task, by drawing upon the ideas of major figures (Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Feyerabend, and Duhem, amongst others). The second half of the course examines debates in contemporary philosophy of science. Must science always explain? Is observation ever theory-neutral? Do scientists confirm or falsify theories based on evidence alone, or do values play a role? Can science ever be value-free and, if not, what does this say about the objectivity and rationality of scientific knowledge? Is science ultimately socially constructed?

This course provides students with the tools of logic, conceptual analysis,  rigorous argument to reflect more deeply on the fundamental nature of science.

Programme details

The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:

Unit 1: The historical background to contemporary philosophy of science: the Scientific Revolution

Unit 2: The Problem of Induction

Unit 3: Karl Popper and Falsificationism

Unit 4: Thomas Kuhn and the idea of scientific revolutions

Unit 5: Recent theories of the scientific method

Unit 6: Scientific realism

Unit 7: The problem of underdetermination

Unit 8: Contemporary antirealism: van Fraassen’s Constructive Empiricism

Unit 9: The problems of theory change for scientific realism

Unit 10: Recent developments

Textbooks

To participate in this course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following books:

  • Ladyman, James, Understanding Philosophy of Science (Routledge, London, 2001) ISBN 0415221579
  • Curd, M. and Cover, J.A., Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues (Norton, New York, 2012) ISBN 0393920801

Secondhand copies of both texts are available.

Please ensure you are able to access copies of any required textbooks prior to enrolling on a course but please keep in mind that courses with insufficient students enrolled will be cancelled. The Department accepts no responsibility for books bought in anticipation of a course running.

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £385.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Ilhaam Isaacs

Course aims

This course aims to introduce participants to the core issues in the philosophy of science, in particular to the debates about the nature of the scientific method, theories of confirmation, the demarcation of science from non-science, the rationality of theory change, and scientific realism. Participants will be introduced to the key thinkers in twentieth century philosophy of science such as Popper, Carnap, Kuhn, Hempel and van Fraassen.

Course Objectives

This course will enable participants to engage with the central debates in the philosophy of science and to understand the terminology and concepts presupposed by advanced literature in the area. They will also be enabled to appreciate the importance of philosophy of science in the history of philosophy more generally, and to apply their knowledge of the subject to contemporary debates about science policy, uncertainty and risk and the controversy about alternatives to evolution.

Teaching methods

  • Guided reading of texts
  • Group discussions of particular issues

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be expected to understand:

  • The basic issues in the philosophy of science such as the demarcation problem, the debate among competing accounts of the scientific method, the problem of induction, and the debate about scientific realism.
  • The main theories of the nature of science.
  • The main arguments for and against various positions in relation to the above issues.


By the end of this course students will be expected to have gained the following skills:

  • The ability to communicate philosophical concepts clearly in written and spoken English.
  • The ability to understand more advanced issues and arguments in the philosophy of science
  • The ability to engage in contemporary debates about the nature of science.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Application

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week - therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support