This course will be held in English.
Knowledge has been the main focus of philosophy of science and has served as a distinctive difference with art, the philosophy of which has been most typically identified with beauty and the arousal of an emotional response. Unfortunately, this view has hindered the investigation of the epistemic achievements that the scientific and the artistic enterprises have in common. In this seminar, we take as starting point the thought that understanding, instead of knowledge, is the central epistemic aim of both science and art, drawing on the works of Goodman (1968) and Elgin (2017). This will allow us to discuss a variety of scientific achievements that do not (only) involve the acquisition of justified true beliefs, such as our learning from scientific models that include strong idealizations, metaphors, or narratives. It also serves to account for the ways in which artworks grant us epistemic access to the world through depiction and exemplification. More broadly, this seminar will address issues concerning the role of aesthetic values in science, the importance of creativity in the two domains, the distinction between different types of understanding (factive and non-factive; explanatory and objectual; knowing-how), and the methodological difficulties arising from an integrated view in aesthetics and philosophy of science.
Recommended reading (selection):
- Bueno, O. et al. Thinking about Science, reflecting on art. Bringing Aesthetics and Philosophy of Science together. New York: Routledge, 2017.
- Goodman, N. (1968) Languages of Art. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1976.
- Trainer/in: Axel Gelfert