Thinking about Science 

Assessment format: 

I.    Tutorial discussion and participation: Preparation for group presentation including group discussion and debate in the tutorials. (20%) 

II. Science project proposal (600-800words) (20%) Submitted to the lecturer through Turnitin on SOUL.  Deadline: 8/3/2025

III. Group project: 

(i) A group (maximum 3 students per group; solo presentation allowed if the schedule permits) presentation in the last one or two tutorials based on research (20-30 minutes) on a particular issue, followed by a Q&A session (20%) (10% of which goes to individual performance, 10 % goes to group performance. Students performing solo presentation will have 20% for individual performance.). 

(ii) A 1000-word group report on the presentation (20%) (students specifying individual contribution in the report may be assessed individually). Submitted latest within 2 weeks after the presentation to the tutor through Turnitin on SOUL.

IV Essay: an argumentative essay (no more than 1200 words) on a topic/issue assigned by the lecturer. (20%) Submitted to the lecturer through Turnitin on SOUL.  Deadline: 26/4/2025

Essay topics:

•Please choose one of the following questions to write an argumentative essay. (preferably between 1000 to 1200 words). Quotation or reference is not necessary but if you do quote or refer, please follow the format of any of the standard style guide such as MLA or APA. 

1.“There is no science in Chinese civilization, all they have is just technology.” Discuss whether you agree with the  this statement by providing example(s) to justify your point of view.

2.“Human behaviours are random because man has free will. Hence it is very difficult for these behaviours to be generalized into a law. Therefore, social sciences are not legit to claim they are part of science.” Do you agree with this view about science? Discuss the above question by justifying your view of science.

3.Is the theory of evolution in biology falsifiable? Please evaluate the theory of evolution by means of the rationale of falsificationism.

4.Is science considered as part of human culture? If so, does it mean that scientific knowledge is relative to different contexts? If not, does it mean that science is the absolute truth across different cultures? Please take a stance in answering the first question before you proceed to deal with the second question.

Tips on getting good grade and learning something from this course: 

The assessment format consists of an essay, a proposal, one presentation and one summary on the presentation: there is no quiz or examination. Hence, there is no need to worry about not remembering any facts or theories. Furthermore, it is also obvious that the content of the lecture only helps you to understand science in general, whether you are a science student or not. In other words, not understanding any part of the lecture content will not affect your grade since the essay and presentation allow you to tackle the problems based on your own background knowledge and common sense.  

Course Objectives:

This course delivers an interdisciplinary and multi-perspective view of the philosophical, cultural and historical factors shaping the contemporary understanding of nature, science and technology. Besides introducing students to the principles and methods of science, there will also be critical evaluations of the impacts major development of Western science have on our lives and self-understanding. Students completing this course will have attained a level of scientific literacy essential to their future career success in a technological world. 

Intended Learning Outcomes:

ILO1. explain and evaluate the historical development of science;

ILO2. describe and evaluate the methods and limitations of scientific reasoning;

ILO3. elucidate contemporary issues of science;

ILO4. demonstrate the ability to learn through research and self-inquiry. 

 page site: https://sites.google.com/view/thinking-about-science/home

Readings:

You are not required to buy any textbook; relevant readings will be provided for you on this course website. But if you want to read for consolidating your knowledge in the area, the following are the recommended texts:

Darwin, Charles. 1968. On the Origin of Species, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Diamond, Jared M. 1999. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W. W. Norton.

Heidegger, Martin. 1977. The Question Concerning Technology, and Other Essays. New York: Harper & Row.

Needham, Joseph. 1978. The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China. New York: Cambridge University Press.

LECTUTRE MATERIALS

Lecture 1 click  

Lecture 2 click                                     

Videos:  Videos: History of Science  

Lectures 3 click 

Videos: Science vs Philosophy  

Lecture 4 click                                

Videos: More Philosophy of Science 

Lecture 5 click 

Videos: Game of Life Meme Synthetic Biology Cyborg 

Lecture 6 click                            

Videos: Methodology  

Lecture 7 click 

Videos: Karl Popper 

Lecture 8 click 

Videos: Creation vs Evolution Genetic Engineering

Lecture 9 click 

Videos: Speed and Space  Newton vs Einstein  

Lecture 10 click 

Videos: Philosophy of Science 

Lecture 11 click 

Videos: Black Hole 

Lecture 12 click                                     

Videos: Greta Thunberg  Environment  Scientism  Heidegger on Technology 

Introduction to Science in HKU 

Readings that may be useful for group presentation: 

1. Cyborg: click   

2. Einstein on Science and Religion: click 

3. Einstein on Progress: click 

4. Memes: click 

5.  Question Concerning technology: click 

Report writing Guide: click 

Science Project Sample 1: click Sample 2: click 

Grading for Essay: click  Sample: click 

Grading for Presentation: click  Presentation Sample: click