Science is developing quickly, changing how we understand ourselves and the natural world, and revising our sense of possibility. But what is science? What makes Astronomy and Astrology so different, since they draw on the same data? Is what makes them different the same as what makes Evolutionary Biology and Intelligent-Design theory different? Is Sociology scientific for the same reasons Physics is? Is Psychoanalysis a science? How has culture historically influenced science? Is good science value-free, and if so, are Medicine and Conservation Biology not scientific?

These are a few central questions asked by the interdisciplinary field of Philosophy of Science. Since the ancient origins of Philosophy, philosophers have been interested in the nature and justification of knowledge. Philosophy of Science has scrutinized science ever since science was part of Philosophy, and called “Natural Philosophy.”

As science gradually became distinct from Philosophy, from the 16th century on, scientists and philosophers began to analyze how scientific knowledge is justified, what distinguishes good science from poor science, and how scientific discoveries happen. This became “Philosophy of Science.”

Current philosophers of science still work on how science depicts reality, trying to understand the nature of understanding and rationality themselves. They also analyze how human society, culture, and values affect science, and how science changes them.

The Minor at Hofstra

Hofstra’s Minor in Philosophy of Science is primarily designed for students majoring in a particular science, but is also appropriate for students in any major (other than Philosophy) wanting to study the nature of science, medicine, and technology. Its courses enable students to develop broader views of their major fields, to appreciate science’s historical development, and to develop their skills for critical evaluation of their knowledge and methods of inquiry.

The Minor provides valuable context for a career in research, health and medicine, science-teaching, policy, law, and other fields. It includes both courses emphasizing conceptual analysis and courses emphasizing practical reasoning.

Students earn Minor credit by taking courses in both Philosophy and other departments. Philosophy courses include courses directly in Philosophy of Science, such as “Philosophy of Science,” “Philosophy of Biology,” and “Scientific Reasoning,” and courses in related areas, like “Bioethics,” “Epistemology,” and “Technology and Human Values.” Selected courses covering science and medicine in departments like Economics, Journalism, Engineering, and African Studies also count towards the minor. Students may apply one Natural Science course towards the minor.

Courses counting towards the Minor

The minor consists of 18 semester hours (sh) of required and elective courses listed below, with at least six hours in residence. A course in reasoning or formal logic, phi 154 for example, is recommended. A student minoring in philosophy of science must take a minimum of any two courses in the natural sciences. From those two or more natural science courses, 3 semester hours will count toward the minor as the Natural Sciences elective. No individual course may satisfy more than one category below. Students should also be aware that some of the courses listed below require prerequisites; check the individual course listings in the current edition of the Bulletin.

A.

Required:

phi 161

Philosophy of Science (3 sh) (hp)

B.

Philosophy of science topics requirement:
3 semester hours chosen from the following:

phi 152

Scientific Reasoning (3 sh)

phi 162

Philosophy of Biology (3 sh) (hp)

C.

Electives:
9 semester hours chosen from list B, or from the following:

afst 122

Health and Disease in Africa: A Medical Anthropology Perspective (3 sh)

chem 168

Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Chemistry (1 sh)

eco 170

Science, Technology and Economic Development (3 sh)

engg 19

Technology and Society (3 sh)

engg 186

Design and Analysis of Experiments (3 sh)

jrnl 71

Health, Science and Environmental Reporting (3 sh)

ling 111

Scientific Terminology and Etymology (3 sh)

math 155

History of Mathematics (3 sh)

nsc 1

The Physical Sciences: from Aristotle to Einstein (4 sh)

phi 10

Introduction to Philosophy (3–4 sh) (hp)

phi 91

Technology and Human Values (3 sh)

phi 130

Bioethics: Medicine and Morality (3 sh) (hp)

phi 133

Environmental Ethics and Ecophilosophy (3 sh) (hp)

phi 154

Introduction to Symbolic Logic (3 sh)

phi 164

Philosophy of Mind (3 sh)

phi 168

Philosophy of Mathematics (3 sh)

phi 180a

Epistemology (3 sh)

soc 104

Sociology of Health and Medicine (3 sh) (bh)

D.

Natural science elective:
Two courses in natural science of which 3 semester hours count toward the minor.

For more information

Contact the Minor adviser:

Prof. Christopher Eliot (Philosophy)