The Scientific Worldview
Syllabus, Bachelor's level, 1FA537
- Code
- 1FA537
- Education cycle
- First cycle
- Grading system
- Fail (U), Pass (3), Pass with credit (4), Pass with distinction (5)
- Finalised by
- The Faculty Board of Science and Technology, 21 January 2021
- Responsible department
- Department of Physics and Astronomy
Entry requirements
90 credits in science/engineering
Learning outcomes
On completion of the course the student shall be able to:
- account for the limitations of science
- orally and in written form argue for the student's personal scientific worldview
- constructively discuss scientific questions with different groups
- relate black holes, life, intelligence, time, space, consciousness, evolution, logic, chaos and order to the scientific worldview
Content
The frontiers of science and open questions: black holes, life, intelligence, time, space, consciousness, evolution, logic, chaos and order. Time and life as described from the perspective of earth science, biology, chemistry and physics. The mathematics, computer science and biology of intelligence and consciousness. The scientific method and its limitations: theory, measurements and experiments. The Socratic method and critical thinking.
Instruction
Lectures and seminars.
Assessment
Hand-in assignments and active participation in seminars (2 credits). Essay (3 credits).
If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.