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The Scientific Revolution: Science and Religion - ARTS2302
 HistorySpec1

   
   
   
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Units of Credit: 6
 
 
EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)
 
 
Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 3
 
 
Enrolment Requirements:
 
 
Prerequisite: 30 units of credit at Level 1
 
 
Equivalent: HPST2111, HPSC2100
 
 
CSS Contribution Charge:Band 1 (more info)
 
   
 
Further Information: See Class Timetable
 
 
Available for General Education: Yes (more info)
 
  

Description

Subject Area: History and Philosophy of Science

This course examines fundamental issues and concepts in the history and philosophy of science, through historical study of the origins of modern European science, with particular focus on the lives and work of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, and Newton. The religious, cultural and economic factors shaping the new science are analysed.
In examining case studies such as the conflict between Galileo and the Catholic Church, emphasis is placed on critical historical thinking and use of tools from the sociology of scientific knowledge, as it has developed from the work of Thomas S. Kuhn and his successors. Fundamental issues in the history and philosophy of science—such as the theory-loaded nature of scientific facts, the existence and role of scientific method, the process of scientific discovery and whether there really are scientific revolutions—are critically analysed and applied to the historical case study material.

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