Philosophy of Science
You should answer four questions in total. Answer one question from
Section A and three questions from Section B. All questions carry equal
weighting.
Begin each answer on a separate sheet.
Write legibly and on only one side of the paper.
Answers must be tied up in separate bundles, marked 1, 2, 3, etc.
according to the number of the question.
Attach a completed coversheet to each bundle and complete a master
coversheet listing all questions attempted. It is essential that you write
your examination number and not your name on the coversheet and on
each bundle.
You may not start to read the questions printed on the subsequent
pages of this question paper until instructed to do so by the
invigilator.
Page 2 of 2
SECTION A
1. In virtue of what, if anything, is scientific knowledge more reliable than
other forms of knowledge?
2. ‘In the world of science, there is physics. Everything else is just stamp
collecting.’ Discuss.
3. ‘Scientists would be better at science if they knew more philosophy.’ Do
you agree?
SECTION B
4. Can we make good causal inferences regarding the effectiveness of
medical interventions from evidence other than comparative clinical
studies in humans?
5. Is the programme of personalized medicine a compelling one?
6. In what sense, if any, has science made progress through reduction?
7. Does the truth of scientific theories explain their successes?
8. ‘There are no biological laws.’ Discuss.
9. ‘A scientific theory should be accepted if it fits the observational data.’
Discuss.
10. ‘The primary purpose of explanation is to provide understanding.’ Do you
agree?
11. Is cognition best understood as localized in the brain?
12. Should cognitive scientists avoid referring to such mental states as
beliefs and desires in their explanations of human behaviour?