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Ingrid Jepsen, Midwife, lecturer, University College Northern Denmark, the midwifery department

How to transfer knowledge of philosophy of science from theory to practice

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Assisted by:

• Annegrethe Nielsen

• Grit Niklasson

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The topic for the workshop

The workshop will be an illustration of how we teach philosophy of science in the beginning of the midwifery study

What is philosophy of science…? and what’s the use of it?

Students attitude…

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What do we do?

The Midwifery students are introduced to natural science, humanities and social sciences by three different teachers. (2 x 45 min for each “science”).

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Then we make a work-shop (3 x 45 min) to try to :• Make the students

understand the difference between the sciences

• Show how philosophy of science can make sense in relation to clinical practice

• Show what questions you ask according to a scientific perspective

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The students receive the questions for the workshop the day before the workshop

WorkshopThe students are at first divided into 3 groups: natural science, humanities and social science. Each group has a teacher as a supervisor (the teacher who has taught philosophy of science)

Each group is told to watch a video focusing on their specific scientific perspective (and the questions).

The students watch the video (45 min)

Video

Natural science

Hum

anitiesSocial science

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• Together with the three teachers/ supervisors the class splits up into three groups to work with the questions according to their ”science” (45 min)

• Finally the students prepare and make presentations for each other in the class room

-and they share and discuss their answers (45 min)

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And now you are going to try it!

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What are we going to do together?

“Count to three” to get your group allocation 1. Humanities2. Natural science3. Social science

A brief information about what in general constitutes the chosen sciences is handed out together with the questions for the video

Watch the video all together

Answer the questions in groups (together with the supervisor)

Presentation in plenum: You present your answers to the questions

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What is natural science, humanities and social sciences? (Holm AB, Philosophy of science, 2013, Frederiksberg, samfundslitteratur.)

Natural science• Scientific knowledge is acquired through the systematic gathering of

empirical data and only theories derived from such data can be considered scientific (positivism)

• Scientific true theories are verifiable• Only empirical and measurable “things” count• Based on natural sciences• Normative• Neutrality, unprejudiced researcher• Objectivism, an object is the sum of our sensory perception of it • Observations: thorough, systematic, logically stringent, aimed at a

particular target, generalizations

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What is science, humanities and social sciences? (Holm AB, Philosophy of science, 2013, Frederiksberg, samfundslitteratur.)

Humanities • All expressions of human life are the object of humanities• The interpretative way of human sciences in principle constitutes a never-

ending process• Working with human beings; there are no correct answers and there

is no absolute truth• Understanding, but complete understanding will never be reached

• The researcher works within a framework of understanding• More in common with dialogue than experiments and observation• Individuality• Experiences are in focus• Knowledge in depth and not in general

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What is science, humanities and social sciences? (Holm AB, Philosophy of science, 2013, Frederiksberg, samfundslitteratur.)

Social sciences• All social sciences must be based on an ide of what a society is and what

characterizes one’s social interaction• Social life• Family • Network

• Problems and methods vary greatly according to which sociologist you are inspired:• - Study social facts not individuals: religion, morals, language (Durkheim)• - Class society, positions, capitalism, power struggles and conflicts of interests (Marx)• - Individual behaviour (motives)(Weber)

• Being critical of the ethical or political consequenses of science is important. The researcher: critical of the role their research plays in society

• Uses different research-methods

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Questions to answer in groups

Find examples in the video where you can see your scientific perspective represented

What kind of questions are you able to ask from your ”scientific” perspective? - Choose one of your questions

What kind of study/research/methods would you choose to get answers to your question?

Try to find some arguments according to your “science”for the truth of this knowledge?

What is the use of your chosen research/investigation?