PH303 PHILOSOPHY OF NATURE

The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to basic concepts in the philosophy of nature. An adequate account of such concepts in the philosophy of nature, such as substance and accident, will be crucial for understanding later theological terms such as transubstantiation, as well as more complicated arguments for the existence of God in metaphysics. In modern science today, many of these basic philosophical presuppositions have gone unexamined. Every scientist presupposes certain philosophical principles, even if implicitly. Since a small error in the beginning may grow to vast proportions in the end, this course seeks to examine these basic, philosophical principles for an adequate understanding of nature. Thus, this course will address questions such as: What is nature? What is motion? What is the infinite? What is time? Could the universe have always existed in time?