Philosophy of Physics

The course is designed to provide students with the fundamental notions of the philosophy of physics, as well as with the essentials of the main debates on spacetime and quantum mechanics by using an interdisciplinary approach and examples taken from different fields of physics and its history.

Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- grasp the basic concepts and fundamental topics in the philosophy of physics
- describe the elements characterizing the research methodology in philosophy of physics
- distinguish epistemological problems from ontological ones related to the study of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics


Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:
- critically analyze a text of philosophy of physics
- analyze debates in the field of philosophy of physics
- outline the state of the art in relation to a problem within this discipline
- apply the methodological tools learned in tackling theoretical and practical problems

Making judgements
At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:
- understand the validity of their own and others' arguments