Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology

About the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (HPST) 

At the UofT, the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology offers dozens of courses and three programs of study - HPST major, HPST minor, and STS minor. 

A very brief introduction:

How are scientific theories developed?  

Do values affect science and do scientific theories influence social values?  

What is the role of science and technology in a democratic society?  

These are some of the questions that historians and philosophers of science examine. Courses in the philosophy of science engage with the structure of science, its methods, and its special claims to the production of knowledge. Courses in the history of science and technology situate scientific advances in their cultural and socio-economic context.