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Part II (History & Philosophy of Science), Episode 6: Introduction
In this episode, I describe and explain what history and philosophy of science is all about. I like to compare science to a workshop with lots of tools for scientists to understand the natural and the social world. There is of course a lot of mathematics, especially in the hard sciences and economics. They employ theories and models. Scientists also use tools such as explanations, predictions, the laws of nature, theory testing, time and scientific revolutions etc.. But they leave it to philosophers to clarify the use of these tools. Science is a human activity, which has had a massive impact on civilisation. Questions about the character of science naturally arise. It is the job of the history and philosophy of science to provide answers to these questions.
Literature:
There are numerous introductions to the philosophy of science; why not start with Samir Okasha: A Very Short Introduction (2016), K. W. Staley, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science ((2014) or Anthony O'Hear, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (1989)?
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By Friedel Weinert (Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Bradford)In this episode, I describe and explain what history and philosophy of science is all about. I like to compare science to a workshop with lots of tools for scientists to understand the natural and the social world. There is of course a lot of mathematics, especially in the hard sciences and economics. They employ theories and models. Scientists also use tools such as explanations, predictions, the laws of nature, theory testing, time and scientific revolutions etc.. But they leave it to philosophers to clarify the use of these tools. Science is a human activity, which has had a massive impact on civilisation. Questions about the character of science naturally arise. It is the job of the history and philosophy of science to provide answers to these questions.
Literature:
There are numerous introductions to the philosophy of science; why not start with Samir Okasha: A Very Short Introduction (2016), K. W. Staley, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science ((2014) or Anthony O'Hear, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (1989)?