HPS investigates the nature of science in general; what distinguishes scientific activity; how theories explain; how they are confirmed; whether they should be read literally; and the moral dilemmas raised by the sciences. We also investigate the fundamental concepts of individual sciences and how they bear on ancient philosophical questions. History and philosophy of science is distinctive in integrating these two areas of study, with investigations in each area often closely interwoven. The purpose of this unit of study is to give students a more advanced understanding of both history of science and philosophy of science and to improve your skills in writing, argument and analysis. You will identify and develop a research project in which you will apply methodological knowledge gathered during your previous studies to synthesize history and philosophy of science. The historical part will arise through your researching of some episode in history of science that both interests you and promises to interact in an interesting way with a philosophical topic of interest to you. You will present your results before your classmates and also deliver an extended written assignemnt. Learning how present material verbally and in written form is an essential skill for scholars in HPS as well as in the wider workplace.
Unit details and rules
Academic unit | History and Philosophy of Science Academic Operations |
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Credit points | 12 |
Prerequisites
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144 credit points of units of study including 12cp of HPSC3XXX or HSTY3XXX or PHIL3XXX |
Corequisites
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None |
Prohibitions
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None |
Assumed knowledge
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Major or Minor in History and Philosophy of Science |
Available to study abroad and exchange students | Yes |
Teaching staff
Coordinator | Dominic Murphy, dominic.murphy@sydney.edu.au |
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