Philosophy & History of Science: A Survey of Scientific Thought

Full-year course. Take a historical journey through the development of scientific thinking! The course begins by studying Ancient Greek thinkers and their work on medicine and science. Students will then dive into the study of major scientific theories such as continental drift, Darwinian evolution, the “Big Bang,” chaos theory, and quantum physics. Students will discuss thought-provoking ideas with their peers on the discussion boards, covering topics such as Schrödinger’s cat, relativity, “how” vs. “why,” observation vs. experimentation, why theories fail, induction vs. deduction, radioactive dating, plate tectonics, the scientific method, and the prevention of scientific investigation.

Over the course of the year, students will read primary sources from thinkers such as Hippocrates, Archimedes, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Mendel, Darwin, and Einstein. Students will search for the meteor that probably killed the dinosaurs, look at the history of humans’ relationship to the cosmos–time, space, aliens, and more–, examine the struggles and contributions of less known scientists, and learn about scientific developments in Ancient Egypt, China, and the Middle East.