J. Thomas Bridges, Ph.D.

The following is a summary of a course offered by Southern Evangelical Seminary. If you would like to see the detailed description of this course and what is expected of students, please view the syllabus below. If you are interested in enrolling in this class, please contact Southern Evangelical Seminary or click the button to request more information. 

History & Philosophy of Science Syllabus. 

May 2, 2016 – Aug 5, 2016

DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE

This course’s main focus is on the history of the philosophy of science, issues in the epistemology of science (realism/antirealism), and a uniquely Thomistic approach to this particular area of philosophy. This course is only offered online. 

OBJECTIVES

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

1. To show comprehension of issues and persons in the recent history of the philosophy of science.
2. To evaluate the merit or demerit of positions from the vantage of a classical realist epistemology and metaphysics.
3. To articulate and defend a position on philosophical issues raised by the texts and by fellow classmates in class discussion.
4. To demonstrate a facility with terms, topics, and issues related to the philosophy of science.
5. By the end of the course the student should be able to understand the general landscape of the philosophy of science (especially the realism/antirealism debate), be able to recall some of the most prominent philosophers of science in the 20th century and their positions, and be thinking of ways to resolve potential conflicts between issues from the philosophy of science and their emerging philosophical theology.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

A.F. Chalmers, What is this thing called Science?, 3rd ed. (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1999, 2013). OR A.F. Chalmers, What is this thing called Science?, 4th ed. (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2013).

David Papineau, ed. Oxford Readings in Philosophy: The Philosophy of Science, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996).

J. Thomas Bridges “An Analysis of the Neo- Darwinism/Intelligent Design Debate based on an Eclectic Philosophy of Science Grounded in Thomistic Realism,” 2012, Southern Evangelical Seminary. (provided to the class)