Philosophy of Science

The goal of this course is twofold. First, it introduces the main general topics of today's philosophy of science and outlines current philosophical debates related to these topics. Second, it focuses more specifically on philosophical issues relevant for two emerging fields of scientific research: Cognitive Science and Complexity Studies. The course concludes with a discussion on the disciplinary structure of science, inter-disciplinary connections in science, and the relationships between sciences and the humanities. The presentation of material is organized in a theoretical rather than a historical order, but it includes many historical references and examples.