・This course focuses on various methodologies of science in the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe, from the point of view of the history of science and ideas, including the history of Christianity & the history of philosophy.
・This course covers key concepts or themes of modern science (the laws of nature, the relation between experiment and experience, empiricism, time and space, the concept of progress, etc.), and it gives an overview of cultural/historical backgrounds of the relation between science and religion.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) understand these concepts of premodern scientific methodologies aforementioned,
2) explain their common cultural and historical background.
History of science and ideas, laws of nature, experience, experiment, empiricism, early modern science, scientific revolution, progressivism, the relationship between science and religion
✔ Specialist skills | Intercultural skills | Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
In the last 20-30 minutes of each class, students should summarize topics of the the class on attendant papers. If they have time, they can add their opinions or questions there.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Introduction: current researches on the relationship between science and religion | understand the meaning of learning thoughts of modern natural science in the context of Christianity |
Class 2 | The concept of laws of nature in the 17th century | understand the source of the concept of laws of nature which appeared in the 17th century and played a central methodological role in the pre-modern natural science |
Class 3 | What is ‘experiment’? | understand the concept of experiment from the relation to the concept of experience |
Class 4 | Mechanism in the pre-modern natural science | understand the idea of mechanism which was one of facets of the concept of experience in the pre-modern natural science |
Class 5 | Empiricism and progress | understand British empiricism from the standpoint of Christianity, and the close relationship between Progressivism and Christianity |
Class 6 | time and space | understand various theories about space and time, especially comparing Newton and Leibniz |
Class 7 | summary of topics | understand and summarize variety of methodologies of the pre-modern natural science, and recent revaluation between science and religion |
Class 8 | final examination | final examination will be held during this class. |
none required
course materials will be provided during class
Students' course scores are based on final exams (80%) and exercise problems(submission of comment/attendance cards) (20%). final exam will be held during the last class of the course. Full attendance is compulsory. The instructor may fail a student if he/she repeatedly comes to class late or resubmits reports too often.
non prerequisites