Ateneo - UPO

Part I: introduction to the philosophy of science. Part II: philosophy of spacetime.

The bibliography is the same for both attending and non-attending students:

1. Okasha S. 2006. Il Primo Libro di Filosofia della Scienza. Einaudi.

2. Iaquinto S., Torrengo G. 2018. Filosofia del Futuro. Un'Introduzione. Raffaello Cortina (excluding chapters 3 and 5).

The basic learning objectives are:
1. to acquire knowledge of the most debated topics in philosophy of science;
2. to gain familiarity with the basic philosophical problems on the nature of spacetime.

The advanced learning objectives are:
1. to explore on your own the contemporary debate in philosophy of science;
2. to understand the technical details of the main philosophical theories on space-time.

No prior knowledge of the course topics is required.

Lectures focused on interactive participation.

For notices and updates, please subscribe to the course DIR page.

Oral exam, lasting no more than 30 minutes, to assess the achievement of the Learning Objectives and the Intended Learning Outcomes. The grading will be based 30% on the understanding of the notions covered in the course, 30% on independent critical thinking, 20% on clarity of exposition, and 20% on mastery of scientific terminology. The ability to establish rigorous and original connections between the course topics is essential to achieve top marks (30 e lode).

1. Introduction to philosophy of science. 1.1. Definition of science. 1.2. Scientific reasoning. 1.3. Scientific explanation. 1.4. Realism vs anti-realism. 1.5. Scientific progress.

2. Philosophy of spacetime. 2.1. Relativity of simultaneity and dynamic theories. 2.2. Past and future events. 2.3. Absolute simultaneity. 2.4. Branching spacetime and multiverse. 2.5. Alternate timelines in Lewis’ pluriverse.

At the basic level, the intended learning outcomes are:
(1. Knowledge and understanding) to gain familiarity with the key notions of philosophy of science and philosophy of spacetime;
(2. Applying knowledge and understanding) to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed theories;
(3. Making judgements) to develop well-reasoned opinions on the course topics;
(4. Communication skills) to clearly describe the main lines of the contemporary debate;
(5. Learning skills) to explore on your own some basic topics of the contemporary research.

At an advanced level, the intended learning outcomes are:
(1. Knowledge and understanding) to understand the technical details of philosophy of science and philosophy of spacetime;
(2. Applying knowledge and understanding) to assess the efficacy of technical details in addressing the questions of contemporary debate;
(3. Making judgments) to use advanced technical notions to develop well-reasoned opinions on the course topics;
(4. Communication skills) to clearly explain the technical details even to those unfamiliar with the course themes;
(5. Learning skills) to explore on your own some technical topics of the contemporary debate.