Everything on this schedule is tentative. The material from March 16 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 |
| Wed, Jan 12 |
What is science? Philosophy? Philosophy of science? |
none |
| Mon, Jan 17 | No Class | Martin Luther King Day |
|
Wed, Jan 19 |
Demarcation: what distinguishes science from nonscience and pseudoscience? |
Popper, Kuhn, Thagard, Ruse, Laudan, Ruse (C&C 3-19, 27-37, 38-61) recommended: Robert T. Pennock, "Can't Philosophers Tell the Difference between Science and Religion?: Demarcation Revisited," Synthese 178.2 (2011): 177-206. From on-campus computers you should be able to access this here: http://www.springerlink.com/content/0039-7857/178/2/. (The rest of the issue looks interesting too. The paper by Sarkar is also particularly relevant to this topic.) A blog posting criticizing Pennock's essay is here: http://thekindlyones.org/2010/12/21/demarcations-revisited-demise/. |
| Mon, Jan 24 |
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. There's a very good essay by David Lewis defending a view similar to Ruben's: "Causal Explanation," in Lewis, Philosophical Papers Volume II (Oxford University Press, 1986). A concise but thorough overview of the literature on explanation up to 1990 is Wesley Salmon, Four Decades of Scientific Explanation (U of Minnesota Press, 1990). |
| Wed, Jan 26 |
Explanation 2: Contextual Factors |
Bas van Fraassen, "The Pragmatics of Explanation" (on TLEARN) |
| Mon, Jan 31 |
Realism and Anti-Realism 1 |
Maxwell, van Fraassen (in C&C 1052-1087) |
| Wed, Feb 2 |
Realism and Anti-Realism 2: NOA |
Fine (in C&C 1186-1208); Hacking, "Observation" and "Microscopes" (on TLEARN) optional: van Fraassen, "Constructive Empiricism Now" (on TLEARN) |
| Mon, Feb 7 |
Theories |
Ronald Giere, two articles both called "Theories"; Elizabeth Lloyd on the structure of evolutionary theory (three chapters in two files): all on TLEARN |
| Wed, Feb 9 |
Induction & Confirmation 1: The Problem of Induction |
Lipton, Popper, Salmon (C&C 412-444) |
| Mon, Feb14 | Induction & Confirmation 2: The Problem of Underdetermination |
Duhem, Laudan (C&C
257-79, 320-353) |
| Wed, Feb 16 |
Induction & Confirmation 3: Intro to Probability Theory; Bayes's Theorem Introduced and Proved |
"Bayes for Beginners" (C&C 627-638) |
| Mon, Feb 21 |
Induction & Confirmation
4: |
Rest of C&C's "Commentary" to Chapter 5
(C&C 638-674) |
| Wed, Feb 23 |
A different approach to theory and evidence |
Kitcher, "Darwin's Achievement" and
"The Experimental Philosophy" (on TLEARN) |
| Mon, Feb 28 | Scientific Change 1 |
Kuhn, Structure of Scientific
Revolutions, chapters 1-8 (on TLEARN) recommended: C&C 102-118 paper proposal due Presenter: Emily |
| Wed, Mar 2 | review for midterm | no new reading |
| Mon, Mar 7 | Midterm Examination | |
| Wed, Mar 9 | Scientific Change 2 |
Kuhn, Structure, continued
(more handouts) Presenters: Andrius and Greg |
| Mar 12-20 | No Classes | Spring Break |
| Mon, Mar 21 |
Scientific Change 3: Kuhn Criticized |
Laudan (C&C 139-69) |
| Wed, Mar 23 | Evolutionary Psychology |
selection from Steven Pinker, How the Mind Works; selection from Fodor,
The Mind Doesn't Work That Way Presenter: Caitlin |
| Mon, Mar 28 | Feminism and Science | Kathleen Okruhlik, "Gender and the Biological Sciences," C&C 192-208; Ginzberg essay on TLEARN |
| Wed, Mar 30 | Evolution & Ethics | required: E. O. Wilson, On Human Nature, chapters 7 and 9; Peter Singer, The Expanding Circle, chapter 3 (on TLEARN); suggested: a chapter by Alexander and an encyclopedia entry by FitzPatrick (also on TLEARN) |
| Mon, April 4 | science and religion 1: nonoverlapping magisteria? | Stephen Jay Gould, "Nonoverlapping Magisteria"; Conservapedia entry (short); Ursula Goodenough, review of Gould's Rock of Ages; Dawkins, The God Delusion, chapter 2 ("The God Hypothesis") |
| Wed, April 6 |
science and religion 2: the new atheism |
Dawkins, The God Delusion, chapter 4 ("Why There Almost Certainly Is No God") |
| Mon, April 11 |
paper presentations 1 |
recommended date to turn in rough draft
of paper |
| Wed, April 13 | paper presentations 2 | presenters: Andrius, Caitlin, Logan |
| Mon, April 18 | paper presentations 3 | presenters: Greg, Josh, Joe |
| Wed, April 20 | no class | instructor out of town |
| Mon, April 25 | string theory and problems of confirmation |
reading: selection from Smolin and/or
Woit, TBA final draft of paper due [the syllabus and paper handout say Monday, April 18; I am revising this] |
| Wed, April 27 | climate change; wrap-up; review for final exam | reading: TBA |
|
Tuesday, May 10, 3:30 PM |
Final Examination |
|