Course content:

In this seminar, we shall study foundational, historical and philosophical questions of cosmology. The syllabus comprises topics and concepts such as (A) key elements of the cosmological standard model and anomalies within it; (B) cosmology as a science and how contemporary research benefits from an awareness of its historical development; (C) further epistemological and methodological questions regarding, for instance, the heavy reliance on strong idealisations and extrapolations in cosmology.
Formally, no prerequisite knowledge in either cosmology or philosophy is needed (albeit desirable). Diligent preparation of the weekly required reading, and continuous active participation are obligatory for successfully completing this course (See below for the details regarding the course requirements/Leistungsnachweis).

Learning outcome/learning goals:

• Basic knowledge of cosmology.
• Knowledge of basic relevant notions from the philosophy of the natural sciences (natural law, space, time, infinity, …)
• Basic insights into the aims of scientific inquiry and the generation of scientific knowledge (by means of examples from the history of cosmology)

Preparatory literature:

- P. Coles. Cosmology – a Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2013
- C. Smeenk & G. Ellis. Philosophy of Cosmology. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmology/