I love thinking about philosophy of science and other areas of philosophy, and about the relationship between sciences and humanities. Philosophy of science is the area of philosophy that investigates how scientific knowledge depends on the ways that scientists design and perform experiments, observe nature, formulate their ideas, and use mathematical models and computers. Even though science is woven into our lives, few people stop to think about the deep philosophical questions that it raises.
Philosophy of science overlaps with other philosophical areas, including epistemology (the study of knowledge and justification), metaphysics (the study of the nature of reality), and ethics (because science can depend on choices that involve ethical issues). Although philosophy of science is one of the core areas of philosophy, it's also fundamentally interdisciplinary: In addition to studying philosophy, philosophers of science have to study sciences. History and other social sciences also play an important role in philosophy of science.
By the way, my courses usually don't assume that you already know about any of the things mentioned above! All that you need is an interest in philosophy — or in science. I teach courses on general philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence, philosophy of social science. I also teach interdisciplinary courses that integrate philosophy with other areas of study.
