Dr. Alex Manafu
alexman@yorku.ca
Office hours: My office is S414A Ross. For information about office hours please check our course’s Moodle page.

The course examines the changes in worldview brought about by the great scientific revolutions, such as those due to Newton, Einstein, Darwin, and Freud. It considers both the empirical and the conceptual aspects of their theories, and focuses on the philosophical significance of the paradigm shifts they engendered. The topics addressed in this course may include: the shift from Aristotle’s conception of motion to Newton’s, the shift from geocentrism to heliocentrism, the shift from Newton’s conceptions of space and time to Einstein’s, the shift from the organismic to the mechanistic view of the universe, the transition from alchemy to chemistry, the shift from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics, the shift from the creationist to the Darwinian view of the origin of species, the shift from the Cartesian to the Freudian view of the mind. We may also consider the influence of Islamic mathematics and astronomy on Copernicus and Galilei, the philosophical aspects of Arab alchemy and chemistry, Leibniz’s criticism of Newton’s view of space and time (the Leibniz-Clarke correspondence), the philosophical significance of the Darwinian and Freudian revolutions, the philosophical aspects of quantum mechanics, and Kuhn’s conception of scientific revolutions.

Richard DeWitt (2018). Worldviews: An introduction to the history and philosophy of science (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. Plus a selection of readings that will be made available on Moodle

Participation: 10%

10 critical comments on the readings, each worth 1%: 10%

Presentation: 15%

Essay draft: 20%

Final essay: 45%

The presentation is mandatory and it must take place in person, at the time convened upon.

Participation involves sharing personal viewpoints, bringing up questions, answering to questions, making connections, making observations, and in general being active in the seminar.

Before each seminar session, you will have the opportunity to write a critical comment on the readings for that week. Your comments must engage deeply with the readings; in devising them, you are expected to use your philosophical creativity. You should devote a considerable amount of time creating these comments. Each submitted comment is worth 1%, which will be awarded to all and only to those submissions that are reasonably well prepared and that meet a reasonably high standard of scholarship. Zero marks or fraction marks are also possible. Critical comments cannot be submitted retroactively. No late critical comments will be accepted.

Late penalty for essays or essay drafts: 10% of the value of the essay/ each 24 hours.

NOTE: The grading scheme will be respected strictly. I do not typically go back and revise the grades of students, nor do I allow students to do extra work to boost their marks. The main reason for this is my commitment to treat all students equally.

Seminar

By the end of this course, you will:

• Explain the empirical and the conceptual aspects of the theories examined, and their metaphysical and epistemological commitments, as well as the worldviews that these theories engendered, and the transition between them.
• Critically evaluate the arguments and the controversies relating to the theories considered and the worldviews that emerged from them.
• Articulate their own philosophical standpoints and arguments concerning the theories and worldviews studied (including the surrounding debates and controversies), and express them cogently, both orally and in writing.
• Recognize the empirical and philosophical assumptions present in their own worldview, as well as in the worldviews of others, and reflect critically on them.
• Engage constructively with opposing viewpoints during classroom discussions and debates.