(HS/OS) What Is the Thing Called Evidence in Science
Dozent:innen: Dr. Sarwar AhmedKurzname: HS/OS Evidence
Kurs-Nr.: 05.127.435
Kurstyp: Seminar
Inhalt
This seminar examines the concept of scientific evidence. Rather than focusing on theories of evidence - accounts of how evidence supports hypotheses - it asks a prior question: what counts as evidence in science in the first place?A traditional empiricist view identifies evidence with observation, often understood in perceptual terms. However, this view sits in tension with scientific practice. Contemporary science relies extensively on instruments, models, simulations, and other inferentially mediated methods to investigate entities and domains that are not directly observable and may not be empirically accessible in any straightforward sense.
This raises a central question: is the observational conception of evidence adequate, or does scientific practice require a broader account? The seminar approaches this question by examining different sources of epistemic justification and assessing their claim to evidential status.
Students will engage with key philosophical texts and develop the ability to critically evaluate competing accounts of evidence. Topics include: the nature and limits of observation; the theory-ladenness of observation; experimentation and intervention; the distinction between data and phenomena; evidential relevance; analogue experiments and simulations; thought experiments; meta-empirical evidence,; theoretical virtues, and social dimensions of evidence.
By the end of the seminar, students will be able to distinguish different conceptions of scientific evidence and critically assess their strengths and limitations in light of scientific practice.
Termine
| Datum (Wochentag) | Zeit | Ort |
|---|---|---|
| 15.04.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 22.04.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 29.04.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 06.05.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 13.05.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 20.05.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 27.05.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 03.06.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 10.06.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 17.06.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 24.06.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 01.07.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |
| 08.07.2026 (Mittwoch) | 16:15 - 17:45 | 00 141 (K7) Übungsraum 9139 - Am Kisselberg |