Philosophy of Earth Science

Catalog description

Course provides an introduction to the discipline of Philosophy of Science, but from an Earth Science perspective. Considers various philosophical perspectives on the nature of science and scientific progress, drawing from works by thinkers such as Aristotle, Popper, Kuhn and Lakatos. Particular attention is given to the following questions: What is scientific knowledge? Is the acquisition of scientific knowledge a rational process? And, what makes some scientific discoveries "revolutionary"? These questions are considered using examples from the history of scientific progress in the Earth Sciences, focusing on groundbreaking discoveries such as the age of the earth, the evolution of organisms as observed in the fossil record, sea-floor spreading, and modern-day global warming.