Back to Philosophy, Science and Religion: Science and Philosophy
The University of Edinburgh

Philosophy, Science and Religion: Science and Philosophy

Philosophy, Science and Religion mark three of the most fundamental modes of thinking about the world and our place in it. Are these modes incompatible? Put another way: is the intellectually responsible thing to do to ‘pick sides’ and identify with one of these approaches at the exclusion of others? Or, are they complementary or mutually supportive? As is typical of questions of such magnitude, the devil is in the details. For example, it is important to work out what is really distinctive about each of these ways of inquiring about the world. In order to gain some clarity here, we’ll be investigating what some of the current leading thinkers in philosophy, science and religion are actually doing. This course, entitled ‘Science and Philosophy’, is the first of three related courses in our Philosophy, Science and Religion Online series. The first launch is now closed to enrolments. We will launch a new version of the course in July 2018. The course will address four themes each presented by guest lecturers: 1. Are Science and Religion in conflict? (Professor Michael Murray, Franklin & Marshall) 2. Neuroscience and Free Will (Professor Al Mele, Florida State) 3. Creationism and Evolutionary Biology--Science or Pseudo-science? (Dr. Mark Harris and Dr. David de Pomerai, University of Edinburgh) 4. Do Scientific claims constitute absolute truths? (Professor Martin Kusch, University of Vienna) The second and third courses in the Philosophy, Science and Religion series are ‘Philosophy and Religion’ and ‘Religion and Science’. They may be taken in any order and completing all three courses will give you a broader understanding of this fascinating topic. Look for: • Philosophy, Science and Religion II: Philosophy and Religion • Philosophy, Science and Religion III: Religion and Science Check out our trailer to hear more: https://youtu.be/OifqTI5VKek You can also follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EdiPhilOnline and you can follow the hashtag #psrmooc Learners can apply for Financial Aid directly with Coursera to assist with the cost of accessing the full course and gaining a certificate for successfully completing the course.

Status: General Science and Research
Status: Research
BeginnerCourse19 hours

Featured reviews

RJ

5.0Reviewed Oct 31, 2024

Professors cover timely and complex questions in a very accessible and lucid manner. The quizzes are thought provoking and engaging. Highly recommend this course!

EP

5.0Reviewed Mar 6, 2021

Хороший набор аргументов чтобы раз и навсегда разобраться в том какое место занимает религия а какое наука в нашем мире.

NB

4.0Reviewed Apr 11, 2017

Very interesting course. I certainly learnt a lot about science and philosophy, especially relating it to religion, and the history behind each domain.

TD

5.0Reviewed Dec 29, 2020

Over all, Very impressive methodology for imparting knowledge . Lectures / materials were Excellent. I have learned a lot and also will recommend others.

DM

4.0Reviewed Jan 15, 2018

I found some of the lecturers' hard to understand do to language accents. However, being able to follow along with the printed form solved any problems.

MC

4.0Reviewed Jan 26, 2019

Great initial course to get a more profound insight on the subjects taken into account. Excellent explanation from all the teachers involved in each week's topic!

SC

4.0Reviewed Jun 11, 2017

I do think it was very interesting and informative. I gave it four out of five stars, only because it could evolve given some time and improve somewhat. I have suggested it to others.

RS

5.0Reviewed Feb 22, 2022

The content of this course was of much interest to me, and it was presented in a manner that maintained my interest. I found the format of the course to be extrememly helpful.

JM

4.0Reviewed Feb 22, 2017

Overall, the content was excellent. However, week 4 taught by Professor Conor Cunningham was rambling at best and made very little sense. The readings for week 4 were the only informative part.

SL

4.0Reviewed Jan 5, 2022

V​ery intresting and well presented. However, sometimes it was difficult to exprapolate the quiz answers or essay answers from the material in the manner it was presented.

DM

5.0Reviewed Aug 20, 2019

I enjoyed the course very much and found it useful to prepare for a graduate course about the same subject. The teachers are very knowledgeable and the material very adequate,

II

5.0Reviewed Nov 29, 2021

Interesting and insightful lectures and questions by knowledgeable professors who encouraged me to think, not just regurgitate information.

All reviews

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