Philosophy, Science and Religion mark three of the most fundamental modes of thinking about the world and our place in it. Are these modes incompatible? Put another way: is the intellectually responsible thing to do to ‘pick sides’ and identify with one of these approaches at the exclusion of others? Or, are they complementary or mutually supportive? As is typical of questions of such magnitude, the devil is in the details. For example, it is important to work out what is really distinctive about each of these ways of inquiring about the world. In order to gain some clarity here, we’ll be investigating what some of the current leading thinkers in philosophy, science and religion are actually doing.
This course, entitled ‘Science and Philosophy’, is the first of three related courses in our Philosophy, Science and Religion Online series. The first launch is now closed to enrolments. We will launch a new version of the course in July 2018. The course will address four themes each presented by guest lecturers:
1. Are Science and Religion in conflict? (Professor Michael Murray, Franklin & Marshall)
2. Neuroscience and Free Will (Professor Al Mele, Florida State)
3. Creationism and Evolutionary Biology--Science or Pseudo-science? (Dr. Mark Harris and Dr. David de Pomerai, University of Edinburgh)
4. Do Scientific claims constitute absolute truths? (Professor Martin Kusch, University of Vienna)
The second and third courses in the Philosophy, Science and Religion series are ‘Philosophy and Religion’ and ‘Religion and Science’. They may be taken in any order and completing all three courses will give you a broader understanding of this fascinating topic. Look for:
• Philosophy, Science and Religion II: Philosophy and Religion
• Philosophy, Science and Religion III: Religion and Science
Check out our trailer to hear more: https://youtu.be/OifqTI5VKek
You can also follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EdiPhilOnline and you can follow the hashtag #psrmooc
Learners can apply for Financial Aid directly with Coursera to assist with the cost of accessing the full course and gaining a certificate for successfully completing the course.
In this module, Dr Orestis Palermos provides a short introduction and overview of the key themes that will be discussed in the ‘Science and Philosophy’ course.
What's included
1 video1 reading1 discussion prompt
Show info about module content
1 video•Total 4 minutes
Overview of the course by Dr. Orestis Palermos•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Accompanying Textbook: Philosophy, Science and Religion for Everyone•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Introduce yourself•10 minutes
Neuroscience and Free Will
Module 2•3 hours to complete
Module details
In this module Professor Al Mele presents experiments that purport to show that there is no such thing as free will. He then presents three criticisms of this interpretation of the evidence.
[YouTube video] The Libet Experiment: Is Free Will Just an Illusion?•10 minutes
Free Will and Science•10 minutes
Al Mele - Free Will and Neuroscience•10 minutes
Free Will - The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy•10 minutes
Podcasts•10 minutes
5 assignments•Total 20 minutes
1: Libet’s experiment•5 minutes
2: Observing changes in the brain•5 minutes
3: Is there a problem with the three studies presented?•5 minutes
4: The point of no return•0 minutes
5: Libet studies•5 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
Does science show that there is no such thing as free will?•60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Does it matter if we have free will or not?•10 minutes
Are Science and Religion in Conflict?
Module 3•5 hours to complete
Module details
Guest lecturer: Dr Michael Murray. Are science and religion compatible with one another? Are they incompatible? What do these questions even mean, and how do we go about answering them? Philosophical tools are helpful to make progress with these very important questions. In this module, Dr Michael Murray offers a philosophical analysis of the complex and easily misunderstood issue of the relationship between science and religion.
What's included
7 videos2 readings3 assignments1 peer review
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 50 minutes
Conflicting in Principle•12 minutes
Non-Conflicting in Principle•9 minutes
Potentially Conflicting•7 minutes
Can Science Support Religious Beliefs?•6 minutes
A Theoretical Challenge•7 minutes
A Challenge from Evolutionary Psychology•10 minutes
Summary•1 minute
2 readings•Total 30 minutes
Further Reading on Religion & Science•0 minutes
[Video Lecture] Tom McLeish on the Theology of Science•30 minutes
3 assignments•Total 90 minutes
1: Definition of science•30 minutes
2: The relationship between science and religion•30 minutes
3: Evolutionary psychology•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
Peer-reviewed essay question•120 minutes
Do Scientific Claims Constitute Absolute Truths?
Module 4•6 hours to complete
Module details
Guest lecturer: Professor Martin Kusch. This module will focus on a central challenge for scientific knowledge: Are there any scientific claims that are absolutely true, or are they all true relative to the system of thought that generated them? If we accept the latter, does this also hold true of any claims we might make, including within the domains of philosophy and religion?
Kuhn and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions•11 minutes
Relativism and Science•18 minutes
The Future of Relativism in the Study of Science•17 minutes
3 readings•Total 45 minutes
[Video Lecture] Stathis Psillos on Scientific Realism•45 minutes
Further Reading on Relativism•0 minutes
Podcasts, Interviews, and Videos•0 minutes
3 assignments•Total 90 minutes
1: Relativists about morality•30 minutes
2: Karl Popper and scientific rationality•30 minutes
3: Paul Feyerabend and scientific experiment and theoretician•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
Peer-reviewed essay question•120 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Does disagreement about a subject constitute a good reason to be a relativist about the subject matter in question?•10 minutes
Evolution and Creationism
Module 5•5 hours to complete
Module details
This module starts with Dr. Mark Harris presenting the history of creationist views and what is claimed about evolution by different creationist approaches. Professor David de Pomerai then goes on to explain what evolutionary biology is.
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Learner reviews
4.5
1,082 reviews
5 stars
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23.29%
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4.89%
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Reviewed on Apr 11, 2017
Very interesting course. I certainly learnt a lot about science and philosophy, especially relating it to religion, and the history behind each domain.
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5·
Reviewed on Mar 6, 2021
Хороший набор аргументов чтобы раз и навсегда разобраться в том какое место занимает религия а какое наука в нашем мире.
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4·
Reviewed on Jun 11, 2017
I do think it was very interesting and informative. I gave it four out of five stars, only because it could evolve given some time and improve somewhat. I have suggested it to others.
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