ECTS
ECTS Course Catalogue
Course details
Course code: BBS20248o10Semester: 2010/2011 winter
Name: Methodology of Life Sciences
Major: Biology
Study Type: second cycle
Course type: compulsory
Study Semester: 1
ECTS points: 2
Hours (Lectures / Tutorials / Other): 30 / 0 / 0
Lecturer: dr hab. Krystyna Skurjat
Language of instruction: Polish
Learning outcomes: Students understand philosophical background of life sciences and are able to use theoretical ( philosophical) arguments, becomes familiar with the rules of forming and conducting successful criticism, place and role of control procedures in life sciences, character of relations between experimental research and theoretical research, acquires knowledge about permissibility, feasibility and sensibility of experiments, students are becoming familiar with nature of questions and the rules of deductive and inductive thinking and will be able to use the rules of fruitful discussion.
Competences: Students will get to know methodology as a science about scientific research, the conditions of their efficiency and the factors determining their cognitive value, students understand the relation between philosophy and detailed sciences, the notions of hypothesis, law and theorem.
Prerequisites: Introduction to the theory of cognition.
Course content: The argument involving universal values. Notion (realism) – extreme and moderate, classical and modern version of this argument. the argument referring to ontological types. the question of truth, Argumentative order in science – interpretation, justification and acceptance. Structure and function of science. Types of questions. Explanation. Science as activity modelling reality. The problems connected with development of science - logic and history of development. Structure of theory and methodological relations in biology. Experiment versus theory. The problems of feasibility of experiments. Motivation of scientific cognition.
Recommended literature: Buczyńska – Garewicz Hanna, Rozum szukający i błądzący, Toruń 2007. Filozofia a nauka. Zarys encyklopedyczny, Wrocław- Warszawa- Kraków- Gdańsk- Łódź 1987. R. Carnap, Wprowadzenie do filozofii nauki, Warszawa 2000. Przybyłowicz J., Logika z ogólną metodologią nauk, Gdańsk 1995. Skurjat K., Zaproszenie do filozofii, Wrocław 1999. Skurjat K., Znaczenie i wartość, Wrocław 2002.
Assessment methods: Work ( written) – scope of knowledge to acquire credits : 70 %
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