Module PHL2011A for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2011A: The Philosophy of Nature 1
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
Philosophy began as a 'philosophy of nature' with the cosmological metaphysics of Presocratic thinkers such as Thales and Heraclitus. Modern Science was born of a revolution in the metaphysics of nature and Modern Philosophy can be conceived as a response to this revolution. The self-understanding of what it means to be human (i.e., of human nature) with all its moral, practical and theoretical implications, has been variable with very different understandings of the relationship of humans to nature. This module aims to improve your understanding of 'the philosophy of nature' as a fundamental philosophical concern by providing an overarching critical reconstruction of the different phases of Western understandings of nature. It also aims to introduce you to political and normative implications of philosophical understandings of nature 'nature', and invites you to reflect on your own presuppositions in dealing with the natural world.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. understand the basic concepts and problems in the philosophy of nature past and present; 2. philosophically analyse the ways in which these problems have been addressed by past and contemporary philosophers; 3. know how to critically analyse concepts and arguments that make reference to nature, and how to expose their ethical and ideological foundations; |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. make explicit underlying assumptions about nature that are often uncritically presupposed in other areas of philosophy, the sciences and the humanities; 5. assess how concepts such as 'nature' change over time and across cultures, and reflect on the reasons for such changes; |
Personal and Key Skills | 6. develop ideas and construct arguments and critically evaluate the ideas and arguments of others; 7. question received wisdom; and 8. critically examine texts, and to write cogent and convincing essays. |
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|
Draft Essay Plan | 1,000 words | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Oral |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
---|---|---|
60 | 40 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essay | 60 | 2,000 words | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Written |
Examination | 40 | 1.5 hours | 1, 2 | Written |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | Essay (2,000 words) | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
Examination | Examination (1.5 hours) | 1, 2 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Collingwood, R.J. ‘The Idea of Nature’ (Oxford Univ. Pr. 1945)
Cushing, J.T. ‘Philosophical Concepts in Physics’ (Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1998).
Dear, P., ‘The Intelligibility of Nature: How Science Makes Sense of the World’ (Univ. of Chicago Pr., 2006).
Sterelny, K., and P.E. Griffiths. ‘Sex and Death’ (Univ. of Chicago Pr., 1999).
Lovejoy, A.O. ‘The Great Chain of Being: A Study of the History of an Idea’ (Harvard Univ. Pr. 1936)
Koyré, A. ‘From the Closed World to the Infinite Universe’ (Johns Hopkins Univ. Pr., 1957)