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Seminar – Philosophy of Medicine
What kind of knowledge is medical knowledge? How should we define health and disease, and does it matter? What is the evidential basis of biomedical research? How should we manage the role of values and judgements in biomedical research? How should we measure pandemics and react to them? In this seminar, we will discuss these and other questions and issues in the context of philosophy of medicine. We will look at recent work by philosophers, engage with cases from medical research and try to answer a central question in a collaborative way: what should philosophy of medicine be? (syllabus PDF) |
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Seminar – Models in the Life and Social Sciences
In this seminar we will explore philosophical questions concerning scientific modelling practices, with a special focus on the life and social sciences. Models can play various roles in these areas of research. They are used as means to explore, explain and predict certain phenomena, to test scientific hypotheses, and they can also be important for the establishment of research communities. Unsurprisingly, these and related (socio-)epistemic roles of scientific modelling practices are increasingly discussed in contemporary philosophy of science. (syllabus PDF) |
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Seminar – Philosophy of Information
Information is an increasingly important concept, which plays a crucial role in most elements of contemporary society, from science to the economy, politics and even our personal lives. According to some, we are currently experiencing an “information revolution” as a consequence of the use of information and communication technologies. But what is information? What is exactly the role played by information technologies? Which is their impact on society? How can we make sense of all this? We will examine these questions from a philosophical perspective, by looking at the novel field of the philosophy of information. (syllabus PDF) |
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