Advanced Studies in the Philosophy of Natural Sciences B

Teacher(s)

Guay Alexandre;

Language

French
> English-friendly

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.

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.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	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

Content

This course will take the form of an in-depth introduction to the history and philosophy of evolutionary biology. We will start by reading most of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, then consider a number of central problems chosen from across the philosophy of biology, including definitions of key concepts and the relationship between the philosophy of biology and other traditional philosophical topics.

Evaluation methods

Evaluation will consist of (1) a small written response to the reading of Darwin, (2) a final written paper, and (3) attendance and participation in our course meetings (if they happen in person, according to the health regulations).
In the second session, the evaluation consists of a personal research essay (50%) and a written exam (50%).

Other information

English-friendly course: course taught in French but offering facilities in English.

Bibliography

Toutes les lectures seront distribuées par le site web du Pr. Pence, sauf L’origine des espèces, qui doit impérativement être soit la version anglaise, 1e édition (1859), soit la traduction de Thierry Hoquet, publié par Seuil.
Il y a deux bibliographies entières, une en anglais et une en français. Les étudiant·e·s peuvent suivre l’un ou l’autre.
All readings will be distributed on the website of Pr. Pence, except the Origin of Species, which must be either the English version of the first edition (1859), which you can find as a reprint published by Harvard University Press, or the French translation by Thierry Hoquet, published by Seuil.
There are two complete bibliographies for the course, one in English and one in French. Students may follow whichever they prefer.

Faculty or entity

EFIL