Teaching code

4S01195

Teacher

Davide Poggi

Coordinator

Davide Poggi

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-FIL/02 - LOGIC AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Period

Sem. 1B dal Nov 11, 2019 al Jan 11, 2020.

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning outcomes

The course intends to be an introduction to the Philosophy of Science, both in gen-eral and through the careful analysis of a key text, together with the examination of some important moments of ancient and modern philosophical and scientific re-flection.
The purpose is to make the student able to:
• critically examine the value of the science, of the scientific method, and their fundamental assumptions and issues;
• understand the historical and conceptual grounds of both the Philoso-phy of Science and the scientific method.
At the end of the course, the student will:
• master the lexicon of the Philosophy of Science;
• be able to critically reconstruct the grounds of the contemporary de-bates concerning the Philosophy of Science.

Program

SYLLABUS
The course aims to provide a critical introduction to the philosophy of science, to its main figures and their theories from Antiquity to the Modern Age (17th century), trying to highlight the distinctive features of "science" (or "scientific knowledge"), the issues faced and the methods of investigation developed. Togheter with this historico-philosophical path, one of the main texts of the philosophy of the Modern science, Francis Bacon’s New organon, will be examined.

DIDACTIC METHODS
The teaching methods consist of traditional lectures that will be divided into two parts:
1) a general part, which intends to introduce to the philosophy of science, through the analysis of some important figures, moments and questions of the development of this branch of philosophy, from Antiquity to the Modern Age (18th Century). In this general part, we will follow the order of the arguments of John Losee’s A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. Any additional anthological material will be uploaded (in full compliance with copyright laws) on the e-learning platform of the University website;
2) a monographic part dedicated to Francis Bacon’s text, New Organon, that will be read and analysed in the light of the historical and epistemological notions acquired in the first part of the course.

By means of power point presentations, on the one hand, both the teaching and the learning will be more clear and immediate and, on the other hand, students will be encouraged to actively participate to lessons.
Each lesson will be recorded in mp3 format and, together with all the material analysed during the course, will be punctually loaded on the e-learning platform of the University with the aim of easing the study for both attending students and those who can not attend lectures.
During the academic year, an individual consultation service is also available at the teacher's study, at the times indicated on the web pages and readily updated.
At the first lesson, students will receive the full calendar of teaching activities, together with the dates and classroom in which the lessons will take place and a synoptic presentation of the subject of the course.
Any suspension of lectures for academic reasons will be readily communicated in the classroom, on the web site, and on the e-learning platform forum.

REFERENCE TEXTS
The texts required are as follows:
1) John Losee, Filosofia della scienza. Un’introduzione [A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science], Italian translation by P. Budinich, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 2009, capp. I-VIII;
2) Francis Bacon, The New Organon [Nuovo organo], with Latin original text, Introduction, translation and notes by M. Marchetto, Milano, Bompiani, 2002 (or newer).
The reference texts are the same for both attending students and those who can not attend lectures.

Further informations, additional texts, and teaching materials will be communicated on the e-learning platform of the University website.

Examination Methods

The assessment of the learning outcomes of both the key concepts and the issues which concern both the philosophy of science and the Bacon’s text will be done by means of an oral examination concerning the programme carried out during the course. This examination consists of questions to test the critical and argumentative abilities of the students, the textual exegesis, the conceptual clarity, and the acquisition of an adequate philosophical vocabulary.
The grades are expressed in thirtieths.
The examination is the same for both attending students and non-attending ones.

[[COVID-19 EMERGENCY UPDATE for a.y. 2020-2021: due to the protraction of the COVID-19 emergency for the academic year 2020-2021, examinations will take place only on Zoom. The oral modality of the examination is confirmed. ]]]