module
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2026: Philosophy of Science
This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
Induction—Justification
Induction—Description
Popper and falsificationism
Kuhn—Paradigms and progress
Kuhn—Incommensurability
Discussion: Kuhn’s legacy and essay topics
Realism and anti-realism
The no-miracles argument
The Pessimistic meta-induction
Theories, models and experiments
The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 22 | Weekly two-hour seminars |
| Guided Independent study | 44 | Readings for seminars |
| Guided Independent study | 2 | Preparing for presentations |
| Guided Independent study | 42 | Researching each essay (identifying the literature, organising sources) (21 hours per essay) |
| Guided Independent study | 40 | Writing each essay (20 hours per essay) |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).