Hockberger Philip E, Miller Richard J
Department of Physiology, and the Institute for Neuroscience, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611.
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2005 Sep;4(1):A12-A16.
There are compelling reasons for teaching a philosophy of science course to undergraduate life science students. The main reason is to help them understand that modern science is not based upon a single, consistent philosophical system; nor is it based upon common sense, or a method, set of rules or formulas that can be used to make unerring predictions. Rather, science is a dynamic process that is constantly being modified and refined to reflect and encompass an ever-expanding set of hypotheses, observations, and theories. To illustrate these points, we developed a course that examined the history and philosophical underpinnings of modern science, and we discussed famous experiments that challenged the prevailing norm and led to Kuhnian revolutions in scientific thought. Building upon this knowledge, students investigated how different philosophical systems address controversial social issues in the biological sciences. They examined the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools, the implications of legalized abortion and physician-assisted suicide, the potential impact of DNA fingerprinting on human rights and racism, the promise and pitfalls of stem cell research, and the neurobiological basis of consciousness and its relevance to mental health therapies and the animal rights movement. We believe undergraduate life science students should be exposed to these issues and have an opportunity to develop informed opinions about them before they graduate from college. Exploration of such topics will help them become better prepared for the inevitable public debates that they will face as science educators, researchers, and leaders of society.
向本科生命科学专业的学生讲授科学哲学课程有令人信服的理由。主要原因是帮助他们理解现代科学并非基于单一、一致的哲学体系；它也不是基于常识，或一种可用于做出无误预测的方法、一套规则或公式。相反，科学是一个动态的过程，不断被修改和完善，以反映和涵盖一系列不断扩展的假设、观察结果和理论。为了说明这些观点，我们开发了一门课程，研究现代科学的历史和哲学基础，并讨论了那些挑战主流规范并引发科学思想库恩式革命的著名实验。基于这些知识，学生们研究了不同的哲学体系如何处理生物科学中有争议的社会问题。他们审视了公立学校中智能设计论和神创论的教学、堕胎合法化和医生协助自杀的影响、DNA指纹识别对人权和种族主义的潜在影响、干细胞研究的前景与陷阱，以及意识的神经生物学基础及其与心理健康治疗和动物权利运动的相关性。我们认为本科生命科学专业的学生应该接触这些问题，并有机会在大学毕业前就这些问题形成明智的观点。对这些主题的探索将帮助他们为作为科学教育工作者、研究人员和社会领袖必然会面临的公开辩论做好更充分的准备。
