UCL - Advanced Studies in the Philosophy of Natural Sciences

[FILO2240]

[30h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 2d semester.

Teacher(s): Bernard Feltz, Michel Ghins

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

Upon completion of the course the student should be able
- to pose critical questions about the importance and the limits of the validity of natural science
- to connect scientific discourse with other forms of discourse about the same phenomenon

Main themes

Philosophical analysis of contemporary scientific practices in accordance with a two-fold approach. Methodologically, to ask questions about the applicability and the limits of validity of scientific explanations, relative to other approaches to reality. In terms of content, to learn to see the contributions of natural science as a more general means of comprehending particular phenomena.

Content and teaching methods

The topics of the cursus will be the contribution of philosophy of life sciences to philosophical anthropology. How can neurosciences contribute to the conception of human being as free being ?

This question will be analysed in relation with different points of vew.
- The reductionist issue in the philosophy of science (E. Nagel, H. Wright, A. Rosenberg, S. Sarkar, W. Wimsatt...)
- The history of the concept of soul
- The concept of freedom in kantian tradition
- Neurosciences and the Mind Question (Dennet, Edelman, Damasio, Changeux, Th. Nagel, P. Churchland, W. Bechtel...)

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisites :

Basic instruction in philosophy of natural science ;
Reading knowledge of English sufficient to allow for study of contemporary texts in the philosophy of natural science.