MPhil / M.A. in Political Thought and Intellectual History

the history of science is an academic sub-discipline. i think oxford do a masters in it. thomas kuhn and the so-called science wars resulted in an aweful lot of literature being published, but the debate surrounding the philosophy of science has been around for donkeys. it's the issue of "science as we know it" which is relatively new.

Reply 23

ChemistBoy

Yeah I think you could do an intellectual history of science, in fact I'd go so far as to say that there are philosophers and historians of science out there that do exactly that. I suppose the wierd thing about science is that the more successful an idea is, generally the less ownership the originator has upon it.

exactly. you also get philosophy of biology etc. it's at this intellectually experimental level that exciting theories and models emerge, bridging empirical disciplines with philosophical interpretation which in turn reinform that public psyche about how the world exists and - a slowly evolving implicit western ontology.

Reply 24

apotoftea

19

Didn't know they did it for Biology. Majorly stand corrected :shy2:

But does any of it come up on an undergrad course though? Or it is only there for those who want to study it at MA level etc?

Reply 25

ChemistBoy

16

vickytoria77

Didn't know they did it for Biology.

But does any of it come up on an undergrad course though? Or it is only there for those who want to study it at MA level etc?

It seems more postgrad orientated although I have heard of people doing it at undergrad in history and philosophy degrees. I guess the reason why it stays at postgrad is because the area does recruit students with undergraduate degrees in science (especially physics) and some philosophers of science do have an initial training in the sciences. If money wasn't an issue then I'd quite like to study it myself, but staying in science offers better, more stable career prospects.

Reply 26

i never read about it as an undergrad but i suspect it's staple diet for many courses.

Reply 27

apotoftea

19

ChemistBoy

It seems more postgrad orientated although I have heard of people doing it at undergrad in history and philosophy degrees. I guess the reason why it stays at postgrad is because the area does recruit students with undergraduate degrees in science (especially physics) and some philosophers of science do have an initial training in the sciences. If money wasn't an issue then I'd quite like to study it myself, but staying in science offers better, more stable career prospects.

That makes sense - I've got a friend doing bio-chem, might ask whether she's come across anything remotely related to it before.

It does come up in History though, but what I find amazing is that some courses don't even touch the issue of Post-modernism etc until the second or third year, let alone anything linked to the intellectual side

Reply 28

Alan Smithee

The history and philosophy of science is interesting, and something I'd love to read up on, at some point.

Reply 29

forpolarbears

My current favorite professor is very interested in history of science/reviews books on it for my favorite online publication (!!).

I'm considering applying for this same course in 2008. Which now doesn't sound so far away now!! Good luck & I'd be curious to hear any more information too :smile:

Reply 30

vickytoria77

That makes sense - I've got a friend doing bio-chem, might ask whether she's come across anything remotely related to it before.

It does come up in History though, but what I find amazing is that some courses don't even touch the issue of Post-modernism etc until the second or third year, let alone anything linked to the intellectual side

aha! here we go:

http://www.huss.ex.ac.uk/sociology/philosophyofbiology/index.htm

exeter has a really random school. of philosophy - small, but seemingly high profile. i suspect the specialist nature of the field makes exeter a beacon by default given that it has a sub-dept. for the philosophy and sociology of biology. that, and the fact that certain academics reside there makes it appealing to others. the staff profiles are interesting - it reads like a pick 'n' mix of brandnames. yale, lse, berekely, cambridge, oxford, imperial, milan, stanford, paris etc.

procrastination is a dreadful sin of mine. :s-smilie:

Reply 31

shady lane

16

The Boosh

the history of science is an academic sub-discipline. i think oxford do a masters in it. thomas kuhn and the so-called science wars resulted in an aweful lot of literature being published, but the debate surrounding the philosophy of science has been around for donkeys. it's the issue of "science as we know it" which is relatively new.

LSE's undergrad philosophy course is "Philosophy, Logic, and the Scientific Method." At my undergrad you could major in History of Science as well.

Reply 32

I suppose that makes sense given that Popper was a prof. at LSE (I'm guessing there is a Popper chair or something similar...). It may also help explain the roots of Exeter's dept. given how some of the key players share an LSE/Stanford background.

I quite like tracing the history of ideas. Once you expose the roots of a discipline and show where it has come from, you can really critique it and bat-off arguments the tradition may have against your own position.

Reply 33

Did anyone here take this MA at QMUL last year (and opinions?)? Or is anyone enrolled for this coming year? I was supposed to start last year but deferred for a year, looking forward to getting on with it now! :smile:

Reply 34

Where are you stuyding your degree? I'm not sure how much use I would be with advise as I haven't yet started the MA, but have gone through the application process, if there was something specific you wanted to know I may be able to assist :smile:

Reply 35

Kitty Pimms

redluc

A few questions -
By when do we need to apply?
Do we apply through UCAS?
May we apply to more than one masters course?
Are you required to have an interview?
Is there any sort of 'postgrad accomodation' one may apply to or must we make arrangements elsewhere?

In order: depends on the course; no, you apply to the university; yes, as many as you like; possible but unlikely, depending on the university; and yes, there nearly always is. :smile:

Reply 36

A few questions -
By when do we need to apply?
Do we apply through UCAS?
May we apply to more than one masters course?
Are you required to have an interview?
Is there any sort of 'postgrad accomodation' one may apply to or must we make arrangements elsewhere?

I can only speak for the London MA as that is the one I've applied to (there's also an MPhil at Cambridge), but you can apply any time up until enrolment, there is no deadline for enrolemnt. However, if you plan to apply for funding they recommended at the latest you apply by February of the year you intend to study. I applied by May 2007 but for deferred entry Sept 2008.

You don't apply through UCAS but directly to the university and you can apply for as many masters as you want to, at as many universities as you want.

There may be a requirement of an interview, I wasn't interviewed, so I guess it is down to the individual university and what they think of your application - maybe if you were applying for postgrad in an area you hadn't studied they would insist on an interview to see if you knew your stuff :smile:

There is usually postgrad accommodation at most universities and quite often specific postgrad halls, or they put all the post grads together.

I hope that info helps :smile:

Reply 37

Lord Fisher

Hi. A good friend of mine is doing this exact course this coming year, at QMUL. He's very excited about Skinner etc and has been going on about the course in general for ages. He only knows one other person starting in Sept- someone following Skinner from Cantab apparently. But I could put anyone commencing it in touch with him or vice versa. He'll be in a Hall. He went to Sheffield which has a good reputation in Politics I belive (what he studied there, along with Philosophy).

Reply 38