Page 350 - Social Sciences Humanities - The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 to 12 - 2013

Grade 12, University Preparation
F1. Understanding the Philosophy of Science: demonstrate an understanding of the main questions in the philosophy of science, and of the positions of major philosophers and schools of philosophy with respect to some of these questions;
F2. Exploring the Philosophy of Science: demonstrate an understanding of theories in the philosophy of science, and evaluate responses to some of the main questions in the philosophy of science
by major philosophers and schools of philosophy;
F3. Making Connections to the Philosophy of Science: demonstrate an understanding of connections between the philosophy of science and other areas of philosophy, other subject areas, and various aspects of society, including everyday life;
F4. Philosophical Reasoning in the Philosophy of Science: use philosophical reasoning skills to develop, communicate, and defend their own responses to questions in the philosophy of science.
F1. Understanding the Philosophy of Science
F2. Exploring the Philosophy of Science
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Social Sciences and Humanities
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
F1.1 demonstrateanunderstanding(e.g.,inclass discussions, debates, presentations, written work) of some of the main questions in the philoso­ phy of science (e.g., What is science? What, if any, are the limits of scientific knowledge? Does science study reality? Is astrology a science? Can science either prove or disprove religious beliefs? Are scien­ tific models (e.g., of the atom) accurate depictions of reality or just useful tools for developing hypotheses? To what extent is science a social construct?)
F1.2 summarizethepositionsofvariousmajor philosophers (e.g., Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Galileo, Kuhn, Hempel, Popper, Duhem, Feyerabend, Hacking, van Fraassen, Dennett, Fox Keller) and schools of philosophy (e.g., logical positivism, instrumentalism, scientific realism, constructive empiricism, social constructivism) on some of the main questions in the philosophy of science
By the end of this course, students will:
F2.1 explaindifferenttheoriesinthephilosophy of science with reference to some classic and contemporary texts (e.g., excerpts from Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Popper’s The Logic of Scientific Discovery, van Fraassen’s The Scientific Image, Feyerabend’s Against Method, Hacking’s The Social Construction of What?, Cartwright’s How the Laws of Physics Lie, Fox Keller’s Reflections on Gender and Science, Foucault’s The Order of Things, Latour’s Laboratory Life)
F2.2 comparehowdifferentphilosophersand/ or schools of philosophy approach the same questions/issues in the philosophy of science
Teacher prompts: “In what ways would Popper and Foucault differ in their view of what con­ stitutes scientific knowledge?” “How do Hume and Goodman differ in their approaches to the problem of induction?” “In what ways is Sandra Harding’s view of scientific evidence distinct from that of Carl Hempel?”
F. SUPPLEMENTARYTOPICS: PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
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