Everything on this schedule is tentative. The material from November 5 to the end of the semester is even more tentative than the rest, and can be adjusted based on the interests and desires of the class.
|
date |
topic |
reading assignment |
| Mon, Sept 1 | No Class | Labor Day |
| Wed, Sep 3 |
What is science? Philosophy? Philosophy of science? |
none |
|
Mon, Sep 8 |
Demarcation: what distinguishes science from nonscience and pseudoscience? |
Popper, Kuhn, Thagard, Ruse, Laudan, Ruse (C&C 3-19, 27-37, 38-61) |
| Wed, Sept 10 |
Explanation 1: Hempel's Model |
Hempel, "Two Basic Types" (685-694); Ruben (C&C 720-745); Commentary pp. 769-772. recommended: Carnap (678-684), the other two Hempel essays (695-719); the rest of the Commentary |
| Mon, Sept 15 |
Explanation 2: Contextual Factors |
Bas van Fraassen, selection from The Scientific Image (handout) |
| Wed, Sept 17 |
Realism and Anti-Realism 1 |
Maxwell, van Fraassen (in C&C 1052-1087) |
| Mon, Sept 22 |
Realism and Anti-Realism 2: NOA |
Fine (in C&C 1186-1208) |
| Wed, Sept 24 |
Theories |
handout on semantic view of theories |
| Mon, Sept 29 |
Confirmation 1: The Problem of Induction |
Lipton, Popper, Salmon (C&C 412-444) presenters: David McDonald, Amy Hirshkowitz |
| Wed, Oct 1 | Induction & Confirmation 2: The Problem of Underdetermination |
Duhem, Laudan (C&C
257-79, 320-353) |
| Mon, Oct 6 |
Induction & Confirmation 3: Intro to Probability Theory; Bayes's Theorem Introduced and Proved |
"Bayes for Beginners" (C&C 627-638) |
| Wed, Oct 8 |
Induction & Confirmation
4: |
Rest of C&C's "Commentary" to Chapter 5 (C&C 638-674) |
| Mon, Oct 13 | review for midterm | no new reading |
| Wed, Oct 15 |
Midterm Examination |
|
| Mon, Oct 20 |
Scientific Change 1 |
Kuhn, Structure,
chapters 1-6 |
| Wed, Oct 22 | Scientific Change 2 |
Kuhn, Structure, chapters 7-10 paper proposal due presenters: Aaron White, Dexter Coleman |
| Mon, Oct 27 | Scientific Change 3 |
Kuhn, Structure, chapters 11 - 13 and
Postscript presenters: David Mathisen, Patrick Donohue |
| Wed, Oct 29 |
Scientific Change 4: Kuhn Criticized |
Laudan (C&C 139-69) |
| Mon, Nov 3 |
Science & Values: science and sexism |
Okruhlik (C&C 192-208), Ginzberg (handout) |
| Wed, Nov 5 |
Social Studies of Science |
Latour & Woolgar (handout); Haack (handout) |
| Mon, Nov 10 | Philosophy of Physics: Bell's Theorem |
David Mermin,
"Is
the Moon There When Nobody Looks? Reality and the Quantum Theory," Physics
Today 38 (April, 1985): 38-47. Recommended: letters and a response from Mermin in Physics Today 38 (November, 1985), 9ff. Also very good: Brian Greene, The Fabric of the Cosmos (Random House, 2004), Chapter 4 |
| Wed, Nov 12 | Evolutionary Psychology | selection from Steven Pinker, How the Mind Works; selection from Fodor, The Mind Doesn't Work That Way |
| Mon, Nov 17 |
paper presentations 1 |
Dexter Coleman |
| Wed, Nov 19 |
paper presentations 2 |
Eric Washburn, Patrick Donohue, George Fisk |
| Mon, Nov 24 | paper presentations 3 | Amy Hirshkowitz, David Mathisen, Robert Owers |
| Wed, Nov 26 | paper presentations 4 |
David McDonald, Aaron
White, Charlie Mitchell note: day before Thanksgiving |
| Mon, Nov 31 | Ethics and Evolution | |
| Wed, Dec 2 | Science and Politics: Research on Sex Differences |
final draft of paper due
|
| Mon, Dec 7 |
Demarcation Revisited: Astrology (Or another example? Let me know what you're interested in.) |
|
| Wed, Dec 9 | wrapup; review for final exam | |
|
Saturday, Dec 13, 8:30 AM |
Final Examination |
|
|
Last
update: November 13, 2008 |