History and Philosophy of Science
Broad overview of scientific developments in various civilizations, Important epochs in the history of science: Greek period, Ancient India, Arab period, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution. Paradigm shifts in science: Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein, quantum mechanics, genetic basis of life. Philosophical concepts underlying science: idealism, materialism, determinism, causality, positivism, etc. The concept of falsifiability. Method of scientific research: hypothesis formation, identification of variables, hypothesis testing, design of experiments, etc. Questions and controversies in various scientific disciplines. |