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Philosophy and the Sciences

What is the origin of our universe? What are dark matter and dark energy? This is the first part of the course 'Philosophy and the Sciences', dedicated to Philosophy of the Physical Sciences. Scientific research across the physical sciences has raised pressing questions for philosophers. The goal of this course is to introduce you to some of the main areas and topics at the key juncture between philosophy and the physical sciences. Each week we will introduce you to some of these important questions at the forefront of scientific research. We will explain the science behind each topic in a simple, non-technical way, while also addressing the philosophical and conceptual questions arising from it. We’ll consider questions about the origin and evolution of our universe, the nature of dark energy and dark matter and the role of anthropic reasoning in the explanation of our universe. Learning Objectives Gain a fairly well-rounded view on selected areas and topics at the intersection of philosophy and the sciences Understand some key questions, and conceptual problems arising in the natural sciences. Develop critical skills to evaluate and assess these problems. Suggested Reading To accompany 'Philosophy and the Sciences', we are pleased to announce a tie-in book from Routledge entitled 'Philosophy and the Sciences for Everyone'. This course companion to the 'Philosophy and the Sciences' course was written by the Edinburgh Philosophy and the Sciences team expressly with the needs of MOOC students in mind. 'Philosophy and the Sciences for Everyone' contains clear and user-friendly chapters, chapter summaries, glossary, study questions, suggestions for further reading and guides to online resources. Please note, this companion book is optional - all the resources needed to complete the course are available freely and listed on the course site.

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Rating 4.6★ based on 101 ratings
Length 5 weeks
Starts Jul 3 (45 weeks ago)
Cost $49
From The University of Edinburgh via Coursera
Instructors Professor Michela Massimi, Professor Duncan Pritchard, Louise Connelly, Dr. Alasdair Richmond, Dr. Suilin Lavelle, Dr David Carmel, Dr Peggy Series, Professor Andy Clark, Dr Mark Sprevak, Dr Kenny Smith, Professor John Peacock, Professor Barbara Webb, Dr Louise Connelly
Download Videos On all desktop and mobile devices
Language English
Subjects Art & Design Humanities Engineering Science
Tags Arts And Humanities Physical Science And Engineering Physics And Astronomy Philosophy

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What people are saying

philosophy of science

The lecturers provide great explanations and plenty of additional readings for those more curious about the many topics.For those with some background in philosophy of science, especially in physics, this may seem a bit too simple.

This course very much helpful to those who are new philosophy of science.

Though familiar with the material, the lectures made several very nice key points about the Philosophy of Science which I found useful.

I have a particular interest in the philosophy of science (specifically epistemic beliefs), but found that I got so much out of this class with the cosmology connections.

4 This was FIRST EVER philosophy of science experience.

I had to go through some other sources outside of the course to understand what our professors and lecturers are presenting because I am a total layman in philosophy of sciences.

A great course introduction on the philosophy of science and cosmology.

The course really re-awakened my interest in cosmology & taught me something about the philosophy of science and where it's at (almost) right now.

It's a great introductory course I recommend for everyone who interests in the philosophy of science and its aspects.

I was, though, expecting to learn more about philosophy of science than to cosmology.

Therefore, I am also taking the other course, on the philosophy of science: cognition.

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very interesting

Very interesting, easy to follow and challenging content.

Nevertheless, it is a great introduction to the topic and provide some very interesting insights even for more familiarised researchers.

I find that the course is very interesting not only for the philosophical/scientific minded, but for most people in general.

very interesting This course will let you dive into the depth of universe and see through the theories and reason for their existence till now.

The lectures are very interesting and the transcripts and PDF files provided, make the understanding of basic cosmological concepts more manageable especially for people like me with no previous knowledge on the subject matter and English not being my native tongue.

it was an amazing experience working through this course, Material and lectures were very interesting and made me want to pursue further in the world of philosophy Very nice and informative course What an amazing course!

very interesting course.

This course is very interesting to get to know deeply Contemporary astronomy and his philosophical consequences.

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university of edinburgh

Another great course from The University of Edinburgh!

I also liked a lot the introduced scientific topics.I am also taking advantage of these courses of the University of Edinburgh for practice English language, and I highly recommend them.Thanks!

I am excited about taking more courses with/at The University of Edinburgh.

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cosmology and philosophy

Excellent course on cosmology and philosophy.

This course consists of two parts - philosophy of cosmology and philosophy of mind.

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physical sciences

It is also a subject that is rather elitist and grandiose, while physical sciences like Climate (Earth Systems), and Geology are nearer home.

I have always felt kind of "Dumb" when it came to physical sciences, but this course gave me a different perspective to understanding the physical science concepts that I was unaware of previously.

The physics part is somewhat challenging, but good for getting a sense of the philosophy of physical sciences.

This was a beautiful overview and introduction to the philosophy of physical sciences.

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additional readings

Extremely interesting with lots of additional readings for further study.

The majority of threads are either instructor created, and contain reference for additional readings, or are rather old, dating eight monts or one year ago.

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so much

I liked his videos so much excellent introduction: please repeat!

Wish it I enjoyed so much this course!

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challenging but

I found it to be challenging but good.

Yes, challenging but also thought-provoking.

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Rating 4.6★ based on 101 ratings
Length 5 weeks
Starts Jul 3 (45 weeks ago)
Cost $49
From The University of Edinburgh via Coursera
Instructors Professor Michela Massimi, Professor Duncan Pritchard, Louise Connelly, Dr. Alasdair Richmond, Dr. Suilin Lavelle, Dr David Carmel, Dr Peggy Series, Professor Andy Clark, Dr Mark Sprevak, Dr Kenny Smith, Professor John Peacock, Professor Barbara Webb, Dr Louise Connelly
Download Videos On all desktop and mobile devices
Language English
Subjects Art & Design Humanities Engineering Science
Tags Arts And Humanities Physical Science And Engineering Physics And Astronomy Philosophy

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