Republic of the Philippines

MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY

Fatima, General Santos City

GRADUATE SCHOOL STUDIES

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE TITLE : History and Philosophy of Science and Technology Education

COURSE NUMBER : SE 200
COURSE DESCRIPTION : Interaction of Science and Technology and Society from the perspective of history
and philosophy of science: its implication to Science teaching and education policies in the Philippine
context. As prospective Science educator, this provides insight on the history and application of philosophy
in teaching science.

PREREQUISITE(s) : none
COURSE CREDIT : 3 units
CONSULTATION : facebook group

COURSE OBJECTIVES : At the end of the semester, the students are expected to:
1. Develop understanding of
a. the historical development and philosophical foundations of science;
b. the interaction of science, technology and society; and
c. the global movement that have influenced such interaction

2. Deepen understanding of science and technology education of the Philippines and be able to
explicate the role it plays in national development.

3. Appreciate the relevance of History and Philosophy of Science education to teacher education.

Note: Oral quiz will be given for us to have fruitful discussions.

Questions to be answered:
a. What is Philosophy of Science and Technology? History of Science and Technology?
b. Why Do We Want a Theory of Science?
c. Can scientific theories provide true descriptions of the world? Is there scientific progress? What is the
mechanism of scientific change? What demarcates science from non-science and pseudoscience? Is the
future of the world strictly determined by its past? Is everything composed of matter or are there
immaterial substances? Are all levels of organization reducible to that of fundamental physics? These
philosophical questions are discussed on the example of the four major scientific worldviews - Aristotelian-
medieval, Cartesian, Newtonian, and Contemporary (Quantum-Relativistic).
d. Why study History and Philosophy of Science and Technology Education?

COURSE OUTLINE:

1. Early History of Science

– Origins of science and philosophy in ancient times (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece...: Thales, Pythagoras,
Aristotle, Euclid, Archimedes, Heron of Alexandria, Ptolemaus...)

2. Science during the Middle Ages and Renaissance

– Science & philosophy in the Roman Empire & Middle Ages (will be short, merely making the bridge from
ancient times to enlightenment)
– Renaissance & age of enlightenment (philosophers: Bacon, Descartes, Hume; scientists: Kepler,
Copernicus, Galileo, Vesalius)

3. The Rise of Modern Science

– Biology, abiogenesis and evolution (Lamarck, Darwin, Mendel, Crick/Watson + what about
creationism/Intelligent Design?)
– Classical physics, including relativity (Newton, Leibniz, Maxwell, Poincaré, Einstein)
– New physics (thermodynamics, quantum physics & string theory: Boltzman, Planck, Schrödinger,
Klein/Kaluza...)
– Modern logic and mathematics (Frege, Cantor, Hilbert, Gödel, Turing)
– Scientific method (Popper, Lakatos, Feyerabend, Poincaré)
– What about social/human sciences (such as history, economics, psychology)?
– Principle of Liberal Inquiry (French: “Libre Examen”, Dutch: “Vrij Onderzoek”)

4. The “New” Philosophy of Science and Technology including Society (October 15)
Film viewing : F. Kennedy School YouTube: Harvard University’s John of Government: Trevor Pinch, David
Kaiser, and Antoine Picon’s “Science and Technology Studies: Opening the Black Box”

Debate –

5. Development of Science and Technology Education in the Philippines

Seminar (as facilitator / note: kindly invite 1 or 2 foreign educational thinkers)
References:
Any books (electronic or hard copies), journals or articles related to History and Philosophy of Science and
Technology / with or without Education component) not earlier than 2006.

Suggested links:
F. Kennedy School YouTube: Harvard University’s John of Government: Trevor Pinch, David Kaiser, and
Antoine Picon’s “Science and Technology Studies: Opening the Black Box”
http://www.vesalius.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NSC202E.pdf
http://thehangedman.com/blog/2012/08/07/history-and-philosophy-of-science/
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~some3056/docs/syllabi/syllabus_PhilSci_sample.pdf
http://people.whitman.edu/~frierspr/hopos.htm
http://www.nptel.ac.in/syllabus/109101009/

GRADING SYSTEM
2 Major Written Exam 30 %
1 Oral Exam
Group Presentation using different Teaching Strategies 30 %
e.g cooperative and collaborative learning approaches
Seminar (as facilitator and/or resource speaker ) 20 %
Critique Paper 20 %
100 %

Critique Papers

A. Aristotle, Posterior Analytics

Why is scientific knowledge "not possible through the act of perception"? How then is scientific
knowledge possible? What is scientific knowledge?
Is Aristotle's science consistent with his philosophy of science? (Give a general explanation of
Aristotle's philosophy of science and use at least two specific examples to illustrate the consistency or lack
thereof of his science with his philosophy of science.)

B. Bacon, The New Organon

How is Bacon's philosophy of science different from Aristotle's? In what ways is it better? In what
ways is it worse? How would you improve on Bacon's philosophy of science?

C. Descartes, The World and Principles

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Descartes’s philosophy of science with specific reference
to one or more examples of recent scientific progress.

D. Newton’s Philosophy of Nature

Of the philosophies of science that we have read so far, whose best fits the science of Newton?
What limitations does Newton’s science bring out in that philosophy?

E. Kant, Prolegomenon / Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science

Give clear explanations of the key ideas of that philosophy of science, as well as connections (where
applicable) to his predecessors.
F. Kuhn (The Structure of Scientific Revolutions)
If Kuhn is right, how should the way “we” engage in scientific research change? (And how should science
education change?

For seminar presentation:

1. What is science I: The dual roots of science
2. What is science II: Demarcation, naturalism, science and pseudoscience
3. What is science III: Induction
4. Scientific explanation I: The hypothetic-deductive method
5. Scientific explanation II: Detecting causes and inference to the best explanation
6. Scientific explanation III: Unification, reductionism and pluralism
7. Scientific theory change I: Falsification
8. Scientific theory change II: Scientific revolutions
9. Scientific realism I: The case for scientific realism
10. Scientific realism II: Constructive empiricism and the pessimistic meta-induction
11. Philosophy of scientific practice I: Scientific understanding
12. Philosophy of scientific practice II: Scientific discovery and creativity
13. Philosophy of specific sciences
14. Values and norms in science: Are scientists morally responsible?
15. Values and norms in science: Science and religion
16. Values and norms in science: Feminist philosophy of science

Grade scale is as follows:

95 – 100% 1.0
90 – 94.99% 1.25
85 – 89.99% 1.5
80 – 84.99% 1.75
75 – 79.99% 2.0
70 – 74.99% 2.25
65 – 69.99% 2.5
60 – 64.99% 2.75
55 – 59.99% 3.0
Below 55% 5.0

Prepared by:

(sgd) PAUL R. OLVIS, MS

Faculty