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Philosophy of Science - Period 4
Business & Economics Program
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dates: late Jan 2026 - late Jun 2026
Philosophy of Science - Period 4
OVERVIEW
CEA CAPA Partner Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Primary Subject Area: Philosophy
Instruction in: English
Transcript Source: Partner Institution
Course Details: Level 200
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 84
DESCRIPTION
'Philosophy of Science' is a course for social sciences students and forms part of the 'academic core' curriculum. The wider objective of this course is to expand your understanding of the process of knowledge acquisition in the social sciences more generally, and of your own position as a scientist in particular.
The course looks at three fundamental themes within the philosophy of the social sciences: naturalism, reductionism and the need for normativity. Naturalism involves differentiating between explaining and understanding; reductionism involves differentiating between holism and individualism; and within normativity, the central distinction is between values-based and non-values-based knowledge on the one hand, and objectivity and relativism on the other.
Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.
The course looks at three fundamental themes within the philosophy of the social sciences: naturalism, reductionism and the need for normativity. Naturalism involves differentiating between explaining and understanding; reductionism involves differentiating between holism and individualism; and within normativity, the central distinction is between values-based and non-values-based knowledge on the one hand, and objectivity and relativism on the other.
Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.