The role of beauty in scientific practice

Course delivery and schedule

This Weekend Course includes 7 x 90-minute sessions delivered between Friday evening and Sunday lunchtime with plenty of opportunity for further conversations and networking during breaks and mealtimes.

Course programme

Friday

Please plan to arrive at Madingley Hall between 16:30 and 18:30. You can meet other course participants in the Terrace Bar which opens at 18:15. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in the study bedrooms.

Saturday

Sunday

Aims:

The course will allow you to:

• gain deeper understanding of scientific practice and the values that guide
  and shape it
• critically reflect on philosophical arguments often assumed in scientific reasoning
• reflect on the role of beauty and creativity in science and the similarities between artistic and scientific practises

Summary of content:

Scientists often praise scientific products, from theories and images to experiments and simulations, for their aesthetic value. Scientific practise reveals that scientists use aesthetic values in theory choice, in the preparation of evidence and often aesthetic values are not simply taken as methodological tools but as indicators of the theory’s truth. But what is beauty for scientists and are aesthetic values fixed or do they change with the development of science? Is beauty to be trusted or could it lead us astray?

In this course we will investigate central themes in the aesthetics of science. We will reflect critically on the concept of beauty and how we come to regard certain properties as aesthetically significant. We will consider whether our aesthetic tastes are stable or subject to change and what this implies for whether beauty can be trusted in science. Could beauty be misleading scientists, directing them in unproductive directions? Or could beauty be evidence for a theory’s truth? We will explore the similarities between scientists and artists, studying how creativity and the aesthetic sensibility guides the reconstruction of fossils, the design of experiments and preparation of images. Last, we will reflect on whether the automation of many scientific processes that we currently value for displaying human creativity and aesthetic sense will lead to a future of aesthetically impoverished science.    

Presentation of the course:

You are welcome to familiarise yourself with the topic by checking out some of the readings or listening to podcasts with interviews on the topic. However, no prior knowledge of the topic is required for this course. The course will be taught in a creative way, including mini lectures, group discussions and working on particular questions as a group.

As a result of the course, within the constraints of the time available, you should be able to:

• understand the development of classical and contemporary ways of understanding science and their social significance
• understand the close relationships between studying the history of science and the philosophical analysis of science
• critically analyse concepts in science
• understand how values shape scientific practice and critically reflect on their place in science

Course materials:

Course materials include the course syllabus, detailed timetable, reading list and tutor biography. Once these materials are available, you can download them from the Documents section below. 

We will also email these to you before your course starts. Please check your spam folder if you have not received them.

Please note that our weekend courses are non-credit bearing and there is no formal assessment.

About Madingley Hall 

This weekend course takes place at Madingley Hall, home to the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. Built in the 16th century, Madingley Hall is a Grade 1 listed building, and is set in eight acres of landscaped gardens designed in the 18th century by ‘Capability’ Brown. Madingley is just four miles from the centre of Cambridge, and only 60 minutes from London, with excellent links to London airports. 

As a student you will enjoy award-winning cuisine in our elegant Dining Hall and first-rate facilities in an atmospheric and inspiring setting. You can choose to stay at the Hall in comfortable en suite accommodation, or attend as a non-resident. 

Course delivery and format 

All courses follow a similar format: seven 1.5hr sessions delivered between Friday evening and Sunday lunchtime. The first course session takes place after dinner on Friday evening.   

There are four sessions on Saturday: two before lunch, one before dinner and one after dinner. There is a break on Saturday afternoon, just after lunch, offering time to rest, read, or explore Madingley Hall’s beautiful grounds. The final two sessions take place on Sunday morning, and the course finishes with lunch. 

Accommodation

Accommodation for those wishing to be resident is provided in single, double or twin study bedrooms, with views over the woods, garden and courtyard. 

Each room has internet access, a television and a direct-dial telephone, as well as tea- and coffee-making facilities and a safe for valuables. Rooms are all en suite and centrally heated. 

A lift gives access to two bedrooms adapted for wheelchair users, and all areas on the ground floor can be reached once inside the building.  If you would like us to make any special provision for your stay, please let us know when booking, and we will be happy to discuss your requirements. 

Non-student attendance 

Please note: accommodation spaces are limited and priority is given to course attendees. Non-residential places are available for those who live locally or who prefer to stay elsewhere. If space permits, non-student guests may accompany a course attendee for the weekend, paying the rate below for accommodation and meals.  

Fees 

Residential fees cover tuition, accommodation and meals from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch (a total of two breakfasts, two lunches, and two evening meals), as well as morning coffee and afternoon tea during teaching hours.  

Non-residential places are available for those who live locally or who prefer to stay elsewhere. Non-residential fees include tuition, lunches, evening meals, morning coffee and afternoon tea during teaching hours. (Non-residents wishing to purchase breakfast may do so on payment of the current rate to Reception before taking their meal.) 

If a residential student is sharing a room with someone who is not enrolled on the Weekend Course, guest accommodation and meal prices are subjected to 20% VAT. 

Course fees 

Accommodation fees (includes Friday and Saturday night with breakfast on Saturday and Sunday at Madingley Hall)

Supplementary items  

Accommodation for carers is provided free of charge, accommodation and meals for guests is subject to VAT.  

Any attendee sharing a room with a carer should contact intenq@ice.cam.ac.uk to discuss further details before the booking deadline. 

Extra nights 

If there is capacity, you can book to stay for the Sunday night after your course at the same weekend bed and breakfast rate. (Please note:  dinners are not provided on a Sunday evening.)   If you wish to arrive early (before Friday) you will need to make a separate booking with Madingley Hall. (Charges may differ.)  

Dietary requirements 

If you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies please indicate these when booking.  

Bursaries for teachers  

Our State School Teacher bursary offers 50% off tuition fees for any teacher with Qualified Teacher Status working in a UK state-funded school or further education institution.  

You will be asked to enter the name and contact details of the school when booking. 

Getting to Madingley Hall 

The Institute of Continuing Education is based at Madingley Hall (CB23 8AQ) in the village of Madingley, four miles west of Cambridge. It is easily accessible from the M11, A14 and A428. Other gateways include Cambridge Main Railway Station and London airports.   

If you are arriving in Cambridge by train you can take a taxi to Madingley Hall. Please contact Reception to book a taxi for your return journey.  

Parking 

Free on-site car parking is available and we have a small number of spaces close to the Hall entrance for Blue Badge holders. 

Booking a course 

To book a weekend course please click the Book Now button at the top of the course page. You will be taken to our secure bookings portal where you can set up an account using your email address, and pay for your course by credit or debit card. 

Payments 

Payment can be made by credit/debit card using our secure online booking system, unless otherwise arranged. You can either pay in full at the time of booking, or pay a 15% registration fee as a deposit; the balance will automatically be taken two weeks before the start of the course.  

Booking deadlines 

Bookings close 11 days before the start of the course. If your preferred course is full at the time of booking you can add yourself to a waiting list. You will be notified, by email, if a place becomes available. We recommend that you book early to avoid missing out. 

Booking terms and conditions 

Before booking your course, please ensure that you have read and understood our Booking terms and conditions.