We will show how science has illuminated some Big Questions, with many practical examples. Many popular myths are dispelled. Logic & reasoning – how science enables us to learn about the real world. Includes deduction, induction, and the scientific method. The Mind – exploring what we are made of, and how it gives rise to the brain, the mind, sentience & freewill. Measuring Morality – we will show how science can guide us in making ethical decisions, with many examples. Quantum Mechanics made visible – demonstration of light sources, spectra etc, with simple explanations.
- The Comprehensible Cosmos: Where Do the Laws of physics come from?, Victor Stenger (2013)
- Human Brain, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brain
- Practical Ethics, Peter Singer, 1979, ISBN 9780521439718
- The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox & Geoff Forshaw
- Logical Deduction: Bayesian reasoning (inference); How they come together in the scientific method; How they could be applied in the courtroom
- The Mind: Where elements come from, and which are in our bodies; The brain, the mind, freewill
- Measuring Morality: We construct a theory of ethics, starting with a single value statement, then apply all of science. This is explained in many practical examples.
- Quantum Mechanics: Simple theories of black body radiation; Quantum devices; Demonstrations of their spectrum, with explanations
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Understand the difference between deduction and induction
- Describe the steps involved in scientific research and testing, and why the confidence it offers trumps certainty
- List the elements we are made of, and why they form mainly covalent bonds
- Describe the evidence for/against consciousness and freewill
- Appreciate the origins of moral systems
- Construct a theory seeking to improve human welfare
- Appreciate quantum theory, and how applied to modern devices
- Measure wavelength, and even Planck’s Constant!
