Philosophy of the Natural Sciences
Philosophy · 3 hrs Lecture
Offered: Fall Or Winter
No prerequisites listed, you can take this course without prior coursework.
Where PHIL-2251 counts
Counts toward 6 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:
Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 50 of 208 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.
Description
Key issues in understanding and evaluating the enterprise of natural science form the subject matter. Questions dealt with might include the following: Is there a scientific method? Can scientific theories be tested against experience? What are the criteria for the acceptability of scientific theories? Is induction reliable? What are the "laws of nature" and how can they be known? Is a true scientific theory simply a useful tool in our search for power over nature, or does it also provide us with an accurate description of the world we live in?
From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.