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The aim of this module is to present a historical and a systematic account of the philosophy of science. Historically we shall be moving from antiquity to the early modern period, and systematically we shall discuss modern theories of scientific method and practice, where notions such as progress, experiment, theory, observation, discoveries, continuities, breaks, paradigms, and revolutions play a key role. The conceptual shift from a scientific approach with is based on causes, to a scientific account of natural phenomena by means of universal and mathematical laws, and from qualitative to quantitative explanations, will be explained historically by recourse to the ideas of thinkers from Aristotle to Galileo. Our systematic discussion will include some classical theories in the philosophy of science by Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, Imre Lakatos, and others.
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