Philosophy of Science | Online Synchronous Course | 40 Spots | 9:30 pm Beirut time
Philosophy of Science
Inductivism | Falsificationism | Revolutions and relativism | Scientific realism
This course will serve as an introduction to the main philosophical questions concerning scientific knowledge. It surveys a variety of positions on philosophy of science through selected writings of philosophers and scientists on the history of science, its nature and methodology. Discussions will revolve around the following questions: What makes science so special? What is the “scientific method” that allegedly makes science the most successful human enterprise? To what extent do experiments and observations determine the validity of scientific theories? Does science discover the objective truth about the world?
Week 1. Deriving laws from facts of experience : the problem with the commonsense view of science
Theory and observation: the role of experiments
The problem of induction
(Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ; Duhem, The Aim and Structure of Physical Theory)
Week 2. Distinguishing science from pseudoscience : falsificationism
Popper and the demarcation problem
Marxism and psychoanalysis vs Einstein’s relativity
Problems with falsificationism
(Popper, The logic of scientific discovery)
Week 3. Making sense of the history of science : revolutions and anarchism
Kuhn’s theory of science : normal science and paradigm shifts
Relativism and Feyerabend’s epistemological anarchism
(Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions ; Feyerabend, Against Method)
Week 4. Describing the world : science, truth and reality
Unobservable entities in science
Scientific realism and anti-realism
(Putnam, Mathematics, Matter and Method)
Sample Class from a previous course:
Website:
Instructors:
The course will be co-taught by:
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Mahmoud Rasmi (@decafquest): finished his PhD in Philosophy at the University of Salamanca Spain. Between 2013 and 2020, he taught philosophy and cultural studies at the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University. Now, he has decided to venture into the virtual world in order to give affordable classes online to people who are interested in studying philosophy in a non-academic setting.
Here’s a sample class on Stoicism from an Introduction to Philosophy online course:
Philippe Caponis (@philippecaponis): Philippe holds an MS in Physics and an MA in Philosophy from the University of Paris. He taught philosophy at the American University of Beirut and Lebanese American University. He is interested in better understanding how scientific theories illuminate (and often reshape) philosophical debates about the nature of space and time, identity and material constitution.
Here’s a talk by Philippe titled: Three Philosophical Lessons from Modern Physics:
Previous guest lecturers:
Nassim Nicholas Taleb: https://twitter.com/Decafquest/status/1396852198496260096
Trishank Karthik Kuppusamy
Josh Hochschild
Dates and Schedule:
4 weeks, once a week, 2 hrs per session.
The course will start on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, and will end on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
Course Schedule: Tuesdays at 9:30 pm Beirut time (8:30 pm CET time).
Synchronous online course via Zoom.
Asynchronous: if you can't attend, you will have the option to watch the recorded lectures.
Price: USD150$
Capacity: 40 seats
Asynchronous option: USD 65$
Important information:
You will receive the link to the sessions a few days before the course starts.
Those based in Lebanon can make the payment via Bank transfer (please contact me to provide you with the details).
Since we are not an institution, you will not be able to claim credits for the course. Many of you might also already be busy with your jobs and daily routine; as a result, we won’t be assigning any homework, exams, or papers. However, if any of you wishes to be assessed on the course material covered, we can arrange for the proper method and format in private.
The sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the DecafQuest YouTube channel as hidden. The links will be made available on google classroom to those registered.
Testimonials: Praise from others:
“Highly recommend to anyone interested in finding out (more or for the first time like me) about philosophy – selected readings and highly enjoyable discussions, interactive, live class sessions with participants from all over the world.” – Tan Erten, (@tanerten)
“This guy’s class could change your life. At least make you think.” – Stephen Schott (@StephenBSchott)
“But one thing I can say is that his class got me thinking.” – Assaad Elias Mrad (@mradassaad)
“I have never taken a class like this (am an engineer), so I was a little intimidated by my lack of knowledge on the subject matter. Mahmoud brought a very non-elite, bottom-up style to the discussions and I felt very free and compelled to comment and be a part of this class. His knowledge is exceptional, and his perseverance (despite significant constraints happening in Beirut) was an inspiration. Having Nassim Taleb as a guest lecturer was also a great start to the class. 10/10 would take another class!” – Tom Martin
“Interested in new learning? Curious about an ancient topic? @Decafquest philosphy course is a great use of 2 hours, 2x wk for 1 mo. You’ll be in company of a thoughtful, studied guide and likeminded others from across Earth globe asia-australia.
Appearing smart has never been easier: brag about your acceptance into DecafQuest’s “Intro to Philosophy”. Getting a little smarter has also never been easier either: join a knowledgable, inquisitive guide on discovering Philosophy, with contemporary collaboration of like-minded classmates across the globe.” – Peter Noble (@petewnoble)
“I highly recommend @Decafquest.” – Waël Atallah (@wael_atallah)
“I joined @Decafquest’s course and can say it’s thought-provoking and fun.” – Oussama Himani (@ohimani)
“Last month I signed up for @Decafquest’s course on the Pre-Socratics to help with a project I’m working on related to the Sophists. Today’s the class I’ve been waiting for, but I already learned BIGLY more than I’d imagined, incl. about patristics and Late Antique Christianity.” – Beyon Miloyan (@bmiloy)
A pdf including course details.