HISTORY OF SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT (PHI 431) Fall 2006

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Instructor: Greg Frost-Arnold Email: gregory.frost-arnold@unlv.edu

Office phone: 895-5996 Webpage: http://faculty.unlv.edu/frostarn

Office Hours: (CDC 4, 424) Mon. 2-3, Tues. 1:30-2:30, and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The present-day scientific view of the world has not always existed: it began in a particular time and place. This course studies the birth of the modern conception of the natural world in seventeenth century Europe, an event often called the ‘Scientific Revolution.’ We begin with an overview of ancient Greek ideas in philosophy, medicine, and cosmology. We then look briefly at how these Greek ideas were recovered and adapted, almost 2000 years later, during the Renaissance. Finally, the main portion of the course will focus on the profound intellectual transformations in Europe during the 17th century, when we first became ‘modern.’ We will aim to understand the scientific revolutionaries on their own terms and for their own sake, but we will also study how their ideas relate to previous periods.

TEXTS: There are two sources for required texts in this class. The first is a course packet. The second source for required texts is the web: I have given the URLs for freely available texts on the ‘Course Assignments’ page. You should print out the required sections and bring them to class. Finally, there is an optional text, I. Bernard Cohen’s The Birth of a New Physics, which you can order from Amazon (or wherever).

GRADING & ASSIGNMENTS: There is one in-class test, worth 30% of your grade, and a set of take-home final essays, worth 30% of your total grade. The remaining 40% of your grade comes from four short (2-3 pages) essays that will be assigned throughout the term.

I assign grades using the usual 100% scale: 90% is the lower bound for an A-, 87% the lower bound for a B+, 83% the lower bound for a B, etc. There are no extra credit assignments.

CLASS POLICIES: You are allowed one unexcused absence. After that, your final grade will suffer. If you have a problem and must miss class please inform me as soon as you can, preferably in advance. Expect to provide documentation (or other evidence) for your excuse.

If you do turn in a short paper late, then you will get only partial credit for it, depending on how late it is. (But something is better than nothing.)

Cheating or plagiarism, in any form, absolutely will not be tolerated. If this class is to succeed as a learning project for you and me, it must be based on respect and trust between us. If anyone abuses that trust, I will punish that person to the extent that University policies allow; the usual penalty is for that person to fail the course. In certain cases, the student will be expelled. You are responsible for knowing the University’s Academic Integrity Policy (see http://www.unlv.edu/pubs/catalogs/undergraduate/pdf/main/acadpol.pdf).

If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you will need to contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) for coordination in your academic accommodations. The DRC phone number is 895-0866 or TDD 895-0652.

Turn off your cell phones and pagers, please.