Back to Philosophy, Science and Religion: Science and Philosophy
The University of Edinburgh

Philosophy, Science and Religion: Science and Philosophy

Philosophy, Science and Religion mark three of the most fundamental modes of thinking about the world and our place in it. Are these modes incompatible? Put another way: is the intellectually responsible thing to do to ‘pick sides’ and identify with one of these approaches at the exclusion of others? Or, are they complementary or mutually supportive? As is typical of questions of such magnitude, the devil is in the details. For example, it is important to work out what is really distinctive about each of these ways of inquiring about the world. In order to gain some clarity here, we’ll be investigating what some of the current leading thinkers in philosophy, science and religion are actually doing. This course, entitled ‘Science and Philosophy’, is the first of three related courses in our Philosophy, Science and Religion Online series. The first launch is now closed to enrolments. We will launch a new version of the course in July 2018. The course will address four themes each presented by guest lecturers: 1. Are Science and Religion in conflict? (Professor Michael Murray, Franklin & Marshall) 2. Neuroscience and Free Will (Professor Al Mele, Florida State) 3. Creationism and Evolutionary Biology--Science or Pseudo-science? (Dr. Mark Harris and Dr. David de Pomerai, University of Edinburgh) 4. Do Scientific claims constitute absolute truths? (Professor Martin Kusch, University of Vienna) The second and third courses in the Philosophy, Science and Religion series are ‘Philosophy and Religion’ and ‘Religion and Science’. They may be taken in any order and completing all three courses will give you a broader understanding of this fascinating topic. Look for: • Philosophy, Science and Religion II: Philosophy and Religion • Philosophy, Science and Religion III: Religion and Science Check out our trailer to hear more: https://youtu.be/OifqTI5VKek You can also follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EdiPhilOnline and you can follow the hashtag #psrmooc Learners can apply for Financial Aid directly with Coursera to assist with the cost of accessing the full course and gaining a certificate for successfully completing the course.

Status: Research
Status: Cultural Diversity
BeginnerCourse19 hours

Featured reviews

TD

5.0Reviewed Dec 29, 2020

Over all, Very impressive methodology for imparting knowledge . Lectures / materials were Excellent. I have learned a lot and also will recommend others.

EP

5.0Reviewed Mar 6, 2021

Хороший набор аргументов чтобы раз и навсегда разобраться в том какое место занимает религия а какое наука в нашем мире.

II

5.0Reviewed Nov 29, 2021

Interesting and insightful lectures and questions by knowledgeable professors who encouraged me to think, not just regurgitate information.

MC

4.0Reviewed Jan 26, 2019

Great initial course to get a more profound insight on the subjects taken into account. Excellent explanation from all the teachers involved in each week's topic!

SL

4.0Reviewed Jan 5, 2022

V​ery intresting and well presented. However, sometimes it was difficult to exprapolate the quiz answers or essay answers from the material in the manner it was presented.

DM

5.0Reviewed Aug 20, 2019

I enjoyed the course very much and found it useful to prepare for a graduate course about the same subject. The teachers are very knowledgeable and the material very adequate,

SH

5.0Reviewed Nov 10, 2018

An excellent and interesting range of lectures. Not particularly fond of the Stanford readings, but such is life. Very enjoyable!

CB

5.0Reviewed Feb 5, 2017

I really enjoyed this course and the effort it put forth to open the dialogue of religion, science and philosophy. Thank you for creating a space to openly discuss belief.

MS

5.0Reviewed Jun 24, 2020

Well, how can i put it: it is a strong way -but a wise one -to pin the noisy barking of religious fanaticism down without causing them to lose their human pride.

AT

4.0Reviewed Aug 11, 2019

I expected that his course would deal with current role of religion and philosophy in this scientific world. Well, the course was strayed from my expectation but still was very erudite one

GH

5.0Reviewed Aug 7, 2023

This was an amazing course to have been part of and has helped me in my wider life as a Christian in my church life. Thank you.

RS

5.0Reviewed Feb 22, 2022

The content of this course was of much interest to me, and it was presented in a manner that maintained my interest. I found the format of the course to be extrememly helpful.

All reviews

Showing: 20 of 276

James R Ennis
1.0
Reviewed Mar 22, 2018
JD Gamboa
1.0
Reviewed May 1, 2018
Christopher Morris
1.0
Reviewed Jun 6, 2018
Patrick Whelan
3.0
Reviewed Jun 12, 2017
David Matta
5.0
Reviewed Aug 21, 2019
Samonee Ralmilay
5.0
Reviewed Nov 13, 2017
Nathalie Zielstra
2.0
Reviewed Dec 15, 2017
Ahmed Hamam
5.0
Reviewed Feb 10, 2017
Solveig Hudresen
5.0
Reviewed Nov 11, 2018
Patrick Quénum
5.0
Reviewed Jun 5, 2020
Pedro F. B. Silva
5.0
Reviewed Dec 30, 2017
Kevin Millsom
5.0
Reviewed Jul 8, 2020
Eric Carlson
5.0
Reviewed Mar 25, 2018
Ali Abdullah Mutlu
5.0
Reviewed Mar 17, 2018
Bow Mac
5.0
Reviewed Apr 22, 2018
Renee Kk3
5.0
Reviewed Aug 31, 2020
Vaishna Raj
5.0
Reviewed May 9, 2020
Khadim H Chaudhary
5.0
Reviewed Jan 18, 2018
Vaighna Raj
5.0
Reviewed May 10, 2020
Wind Chaser
5.0
Reviewed Feb 28, 2017