Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine

Class Meets with HPSC-X540

Scientific knowledge is often taken to be reliable because it arises from the use of “the scientific method”. But it is by no means easy to explicate what “the scientific method” is and what the distinct rules and procedures are that make inquiry scientific. This course introduces students to philosophical and historical debates about scientific methods. We begin by looking at the different roles that experiments can play in science: they can function as tests, demonstrations, support, or heuristic tool. The main part of the course will focus on specific methodological topics related to empirical research. We will examine issues such as experimental control, replication, negative results, uncertainty, risk, and failure. Then, we ask how scientists themselves present their empirical research. We will end with the history of the concept “scientific method” itself: when and why did it emerge, what roles did it play in science, and how did it change over time?

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