Philosophy of Science

De: Jeffrey L. Kasser, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Jeffrey L. Kasser

What makes science science? Why is science so successful? How do we distinguish science from pseudoscience? This exciting inquiry into the vigorous debate over the nature of science covers important philosophers such as Karl Popper, W. V. Quine, Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, Imre Lakatos, Carl Hempel, Nelson Goodman, and Bas van Fraassen.

These thinkers responded in one way or another to logical positivism, the dominant movement influencing the philosophy of science during the first half of the 20th century - a movement whose eventual demise is an object lesson in how truly difficult it is to secure the logical foundations of a subject that seems so unassailably logical: science.

The philosophy of science can be abstract and theoretical, but it is also surprisingly practical. Science plays a pivotal role in our society, and a rigorous study of its philosophical foundations sheds light on the ideas, methods, institutions, and habits of mind that have so astonishingly and successfully transformed our world.

In the course of these 36 stimulating lectures, you will investigate a wide range of philosophical approaches to science, including empiricism, constructivism, scientific realism, and Bayesianism. You'll also examine such concepts as natural kinds, bridge laws, Hume's fork, the covering-law model, the hypothetico-deductive model, and inference to the best explanation (mistakenly called "deduction" in the Sherlock Holmes stories).

Professor Kasser shows how these and other tools allow us to take apart scientific arguments and examine their inner workings - all the while remaining an impartial guide as you navigate the arguments among different philosophers during the past 100 years.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2006 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2006 The Great Courses

Thought Provoking and Interesting

I really enjoyed this, albeit occasionally with a headache. There's a lot to take in, however sitting with it diligently has resulted in multiple breakthroughs in both thought and understanding. The program both answered my philosophy of science questions and had me asking new and better questions.

So much to soak in

It is a great run through of the subject. Great way to gain familiarly with the key ideas and people.

Excellent broad overview

Excellent overview, covering a wide array, but thematically linked topics. The Professor’s cadence and inflection make listening and staying engaged easy. 10/10 definitely recommend.

Best in Class

Best work available on audio for this subject. Lecturer was pleasant to listen to and very knowledgeable.

Exploration, intellectual structure of science

This was an earnest, serious and fair treatment of what sits underneath science. It gave me the desire to look more at the ways I parse my own practice of science.