New developments

Thursday August 20th, 2008

My IT account at LSE is now functioning, giving me access to both a complete set of old exam papers and draft timetabling information for the next academic year. I have printed off most papers for most subjects for the last 6 or 7 years and so have a pretty good idea of the sorts of things asked for the subjects I am planning to do. As a result of this, I have narrowed my course choices down to History of Science (a definite choice), Philosophy of Mathematics (not available in 2008/09 but a definite if available for 2009/10), Philosophical Foundations of Physics, Philosophy of the Biological and Cognitive sciences, Philosophy of Economics and Philosophy of Science - I have to pick three from these six.

But the timetabling news is not good. I am working on the assumption that I will do one subject in 2008/09 and the remaining two in 2009/10. I had hoped to do the History of Science paper first, but the only subject that looks like it might work from the point of view of me attending lectures and seminars is Philosophy of Science, which is timetabled for 6:00pm till 8:30pm on a Tuesday evening. This subject was perhaps my fourth choice, but may have to be my year one choice. This isn't ideal, but might be ok. However, I have taken quite a few setbacks on various things recently and am tempted to treat this development negatively. Maybe I should just wait a day or two and see how I feel then. And afterall, this doesn't mean the history of science work I have been doing recently has been wasted.

A huge number of history of science books have arrived since I went away - ordered after hearing of my acceptance to LSE. Highlights include Koyre's The Astronomical Revolution and Newtonian Studies, Finocchiaro's The Galileo Affair, The Cambridge Companion to Newton, Gingerich's The Book Nobody Read, Casper's biography Kepler, Kepler's Epitome of Copernican Astronomy, Galileo's Dialogue concerning the Chief World Systems, and so on. All stuff I was really looking forward to reading in great detail in the next 9 months or so, but which might now be delayed till the year after.