Expert Text Analysis in the Inclusion of History and Philosophy of Science in Higher Education

Journal Article · Fri Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Science & Education

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00280-5· OSTI ID:1827110

Pronskikh, Vitaly Stanislavovich ^[1]; Sorina, Galina V. ^[2]

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1. Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
2. Moscow State Univ., Moscow (Russian Federation)

The history and philosophy of science (HPS) plays a special role in education. An elective HPS course onthe philosophy of scientific experimentation for young scientists and graduate students of natural scienceis presented. The course bears a pragmatic character, and its main aims include the development of criticalthinking (CT), familiarization with philosophical problems in the relevant areas of knowledge, and thecultivation of a taste for reflective, critical analysis, both individual and group-based, which contributes todeeper understanding of the features of scientific practice in the context of modern complex groupcooperation. Students are offered a classical HPS program that included debates on the relationship betweenempiricism and rationalism, the role of Kant’s transcendental philosophy, modern topics associated withthe practical success of rationalism in the emergence of modern natural science, and the theory-ladennessof experimentation. Particular attention during the course is paid to the problems of megascience, theinclusion of which is justified by the specifics of the students’ engagement with science, technology,engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Emphasis is placed on the structure and typology of the collectivesubject in the modern educational process as well as in experimental practice. Lessons on the methodologyof expert text analysis (META), which are aimed at the development of critical thinking skills and thecreation of an interdisciplinary discussion space, are included in the course and relied on the example ofthe history and philosophy of high energy physics to motivate professional reflection. META classesincluded in the course prepare graduate students for teamwork in big science, proto-megascience, andmegascience. The course offers practical recommendations that could be applied to students’ own researchand could be useful for practitioners.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 1827110
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-PUB--21-388-AD; oai:inspirehep.net:1949946
• Journal Information: Science & Education, Journal Name: Science & Education Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 34; ISSN 0926-7220
• Publisher: Springer
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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