2218-PHIL-2314-001-PERSPECTIVES ON SCIENCE & MATH

In this course we examine the evolution and development of human knowledge acquiring, and constructing, practices through the history and philosophy of science and mathematics. The overall aim is to give students a sense of the history and context of the development of modern science and mathematics, and of how this may provide a lens through which to view human cultural evolution in general. Emphasis will be placed on the ways in which science and mathematics develop in cultures by means of both intellectual and aesthetic creativity, and constitute practices through which the human experience is both expressed, and also understood. A secondary aim is to provide students with basic scientific and mathematical literacy: to unearth and clarify some myths and misunderstandings about the purpose and practices of science and math. It is important for well-rounded students to have some knowledge of the history of science and mathematics to add to the breadth and depth of their cultural education.