Philosophy of the Life Sciences

Course goals

At the end of the course, students are able to:

• Identify, break down and present cases from scientific research, describing questions/problems, methodology and methods, research processes, how data are analyzed and interpreted, and how knowledge is constructed.
• Identify and articulate underlying philosophical, historical, and normative questions raised in concrete scientific cases.
• Use relevant academic literature to interpret and critically engage with these questions, situating cases within broader debates in science.
• Compare, critically assess and engage in meaningful discussions about different conceptions of science and scientific practice, recognizing how these reflect diverse epistemological and normative assumptions.
• Articulate, justify and engage in meaningful discussions about your own informed viewpoint on what science is and should be, drawing on both philosophical arguments and (historical) examples from scientific practice.

Content

Period (from - till): 24 February - 12 March 2027 (BMS_P3_A)

Description of content:
This course addresses central subjects in the philosophy of science based on authentic scientific cases in the natural sciences. The aim is to learn to systematically evaluate scientific research in terms of the underlying philosophical assumptions and apply these insights to your own scientific practice. The course adopts a practice-oriented approach in philosophy of science and takes in-class discussion as fundamental for learning and preparing for the exam.  Questions we will address include: 
• What is the relationship between scientific observations and investigated phenomena? 
• How is the perception of phenomena shaped by the theories and values of scientists? 
• What are the features of the scientific method at hand? 
• When are scientific findings considered robust? What roles are there for objectivity, subjectivity, and (un)certainty in science? 
• What does it mean that science should be reproducible? Should scientists strive to adopt more standardization to achieve reproducibility? 
• How does and how should science progress? 
• How are all these questions related to issues of trust in science and its use outside academia? 

The course will consist of seminars, reading literature to prepare for the seminars, a group discussion on cases brought in by the students, an excursion to a science museum, personal reflections, and an exam. Each seminar will introduce a new case from scientific practice and a new philosophical topic. We will break down the case to describe how knowledge is constructed. Then, we will collaboratively identify the underlying philosophical assumptions in this type of scientific study, using literature from philosophy of science and science. Over the weeks, we will compare the underlying assumptions between cases to identify different conceptions of science and good scientific practice. Students will also learn to articulate their own viewpoints about what science is and should be, and how that affects their research practice.

Registration:
You can register for this course via Osiris Student. More information about the registration procedure can be found on the GSLS Students' Site.
The maximum number of participants is 15, with a minimum of 12.

Mandatory for students in Master’s programme:
NA

Optional for students in other Master’s programmes GS-LS:
NA

Prerequisite knowledge:
No