VB008 Philosophy of Science II

Faculty of Informatics
Spring 2023
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Ing. Miloslav Dokulil, DrSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Ing. Miloslav Dokulil, DrSc.
Department of Machine Learning and Data Processing – Faculty of Informatics
Contact Person: prof. PhDr. Ing. Miloslav Dokulil, DrSc.
Supplier department: Department of Machine Learning and Data Processing – Faculty of Informatics
Timetable
Wed 15. 2. to Wed 10. 5. Wed 8:00–9:50 A319
Prerequisites
VB007 Philosophy of Science I
It is not necessary to pass the preceding course ("Philosophy of science I") to participate but it may be helpful.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 1/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This part of lectures substantially considers the problem of evolution and the dramatic development of science in the 20-th and at the beginning of this century, including physics, biotechnologies and questions of cosmology. The contemporary situation in the natural sciences has been followed regularly, including novelties.
Learning outcomes
The student will not only have a firmer knowledge of science as developing exponentially, but moreover will be able to quote some surprising examples of this development form various domains.
Syllabus
  • Evolutionary theory in the history of human thinking. Darwin. Neodarwinism. From DNA to biotechnologies.
  • The way to the deductive-nomological and inductive-statistical modellings.
  • Individualism, holism and the problems of being objective in social sciences.
  • Inductivism as a problem. Conventionalism.
  • New paradigms on the horizon? (From Einstein to Kuhn?)
  • The "Why?"-question. The logic of questions. - Description as against explanation. - The pragmatics of explanation.
  • Some general questions of the theory of science from the beginning of the Eighties. Some views concerning reductionism.
  • Probabilistic causality. Explanation by means of laws?
  • Artificial intelligence.
  • Sociobiology.
  • Theory vs. laws? The importance of deduction. Is the structure of the world not causal, all the same? - The "theory of all"?
Literature
  • Literature (books, etc.) is being assigned during the lectures.
Teaching methods
The lecturer has at his disposal a successive explanation based on the curriculum (slides, texts to be accessed electronically), but he has intentionally resigned from such a procedure because it is not sufficiently effective psychologically. Reading something from a projecting screen diverts the student instead of concentrating him/her. The lesson is regularly introduced by some updating (news from the world od science, anniversary), sometimes at the cost of a systematic exposition, its meritum being accessible in an electronic way.
Assessment methods
2 credits after submitting 1 essay.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2003, Spring 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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