Science and the quest for knowledge

A. Mahdavi in discussion with one of the guests in the course Science and the quest for knowledge Since Winter term 2016 a little course has been added to the list of electives offered at TU Wien, which can be arguably characterized as different. Its stated objective is to "to encourage general critical reflections regarding the role of science and the scientific method in generation of knowledge. The central objective thereby is to discuss the relative standing of science amongst other expressions of human quest for understanding and interpreting the natural world and the human condition." The course is entitled "Science and the Quest for Knowledge", not without a certain intentional - and certainly not humorless - invocation of a sense of adventure. When asked about the initial motivation behind conceiving and preparing this course, Professor Ardeshir Mahdavi reflects on the following circumstance: We work in an academic context, which takes science and the scientific method as Via Regia to knowledge for granted. And we make a lot of efforts to transfer scientifically based knowledge and derivative technical skills. But a great number of our graduates, it seems, rarely reflect on the deep nature of the scientific reasoning and the reasons why is generally credited with the capability to establish knowledge and reveal truth. One of the main aims of the course is to address this gap.