Programme

The course aims at introducing the key questions of the philosophy and methodology of science, among these the competing theories of scientific explanation, the nature of scientific method, the relation between hypotheses and evidence and the cognitive content of scientific theories in light of their historical change. While the first part of the course will consist in an introduction to these general topics (by using Dorato’s and Okasha’s text), in the second, longer part we will read and comment three of the classics authors of 20th century philosophy of science, namely Karl Popper, Carl Hempel and Rudolf Carnap.

Core Documentation

M. Dorato, Cosa c’entra l’anima con gli atomi, seconda edizione rivista e ampliata, Laterza, Bari, 2017.
K.R. Popper, Scienza e Filosofia, Einaudi, Torino, 2000.
S. Okasha Il mio primo libro di filosofia della scienza, Einaudi, Torino (cap.1, 2, 3, 5, 7)
Carl G. Hempel, Filosofia delle scienze naturali, Il Mulino (capitoli disponibili in rete sul sito del docente, chapters available on the teacher’s web site)
Rudolf Carnap, I fondamenti filosofici della fisica (capitoli disponibili in rete sul sito del docente), Il Saggiatore, Milano

Type of delivery of the course

Frontal lectures, with openness to questions and critical objections during the lecture and at the end of it limited to short temporal intervals

Type of evaluation

Answers to 6 questions in the form of short essays to be completed in 90 minutes