Spring ’08
Instructor: Zvi
Biener |
TA:Rick
Gawne
|
|
Course Description:
Science appears to be extraordinarily successful is two crucial respects. First, science apparently serves as an extremely reliable vehicle for arriving at the truth (as contrasted with astrology or palm reading). Second, the methodology of science seems eminently rational (again as opposed to the methodologies of astrology or palm reading). Philosophers have been quite interested in these two apparent virtues of science. Some philosophers think that the two virtues are illusory and that, upon reflection, science is not significantly superior to astrology or palm reading. Some philosophers even reject concepts like truth and rationality as somehow bogus or illegitimate. Our basic goal in this course is to survey 20th century philosophy of science as centered upon such disputes. To this end, our focus will be upon the following question: are truth and rationality genuine features of scientific inquiry, or are they mere illusions? In pursuit of the answer to this question ,we will discuss topics such as: confirmation and disconfirmation of theories, falsifiability and pseudo-science, induction, probability and statistical inference, prediction, explanation, empirical equivalence, holism, relativism, and realism.
Website:
http://www.wmich.edu/philosophy/courses/philsci-spring08.html
Assignments and Grading:
• Grades will be based on participation (5%), attendance (10%) and 6 quizzes (14% each).
• Quizzes will be given roughly every two weeksat the beginning of class (see schedule for quiz dates). They will test material from the previous two weeks of lectures and readings and consist of short answer questions. They are not cumulative. The quizzes count for a tremendous portion of your grade, so it is in your interest to prepare for them adequately. Since each quiz covers only a small portion of the course, it is not hard to study for, but in order to do so you must attend allclasses, do allthe readings, and take good notes during lectures.
Required Readings:
• What is this thing called science? (3rdEdition) by A. F. Chalmers. Hackett Publishing Company.
Available at WMU bookstore and online. Additional texts will be available here in the future.
Other Policies:
Make-ups:make-up quizzes or exams will only be allowed under special circumstances. If you are in such circumstances, please provide the relevant documentation. If you know ahead of time that you won’t be able to attend a particular class meeting, let me know immediately. In general, the earlier you contact me, the more forgiving I will be and the easier it will be to schedule a make-up exam. Don’t wait till the last minute, or worse, till afterthe quiz/exam.
Attendance polity:You are allowed one unexcused absence. After that, your participation grade will suffer. If you have a problem and must miss class, please inform me as soon as you can, in advance if possible.
Academic Integrity:Students are expected to follow Student Code of Conduct regarding academic integrity and honesty. Definition of academic honesty violations can be found at http://www.osc.wmich.edu/academichonesty/definitionsofviolations.html.Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Be aware that culling material from web sources is extremely easy to discover.
Special Accommodations:If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, please notify both me and the office of Disabled Student Resources and Services as soon as possible. The office of Disabled Student Resources and Services can be found at Disability Resources and Services can be found at http://dsrs.wmich.edu/or (269) 387-2116.
Religious Observances:The university’s religious observances policy (MOA-07/02) states that students “who must be absent from scheduled classes to fulfill religious obligations or observe practices associated with their faith not be disadvantaged. However, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with his/her instructors in advance. It is in the student’s best interests to approach each instructor expeditiously and with sufficient notice that the rights and responsibilities of the instructor are not disrupted.” It is yourresponsibility to check the class meeting schedule and inform me of possible observance conflicts at least 3 weeks before the observance date.
Course Schedule:
|
Date |
Topic & Readings Due |
|---|---|
|
January 8 |
Introduction |
|
What is Science Based On? |
|
|
January 10 |
Science and Observation: pp. 1-18. |
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January 15 |
Science and Observation: pp. 19-26. |
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January 17 |
Experiment: pp. 27-40. |
|
Facts and Theories |
|
|
January 22 |
Quiz. Induction: pp. 41-58. |
|
January 24 |
Falsificationism: pp. 59-73. |
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January 29 |
Falsificationism: pp. 74-86 |
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January 31 |
Falsificationism: pp. 87-103. |
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February 5 |
Induction & Falsificationism review. |
|
Facts and Frameworks |
|
|
February 7 |
Quiz. Paradigms: pp. 104-129 |
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February 12 |
Research Programs: pp. 130-148 |
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February 14 |
Pluralism: pp. 149-159 |
|
The Scientific Method |
|
|
February 19 |
Quiz. Changes in Method: pp. 161-173 |
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February 21 |
Baysianism: pp. 174-192. |
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February 26 |
Baysianism. same. |
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February 28 |
The New Experimentalism: pp. 193-212 |
|
Issues in General Philosophy of Science |
|
|
March 11 |
Quiz. Laws of Nature: pp. 213-225. |
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March 13 |
Realism and Anti-Realism: pp. 226-233. |
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March 18 |
Realism and Anti-Realism: pp. 244-246. |
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March 20 |
Scientific Explanation: pp. 7-23 of W. Salmon “Scientific Explanation” in Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, (M. Salmon, ed.). Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1992. Available on Website. |
|
Issues in Philosophy of Particular Sciences |
|
|
March 25 |
Quiz. |
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March 27 |
Philosophy of Biology: pp. 269-310 of Intro |
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April 1 |
Philosophy of Biology: same. |
|
April 3 |
Quiz. Philosophy of Psychology. pp. 346-365 of Peter Machamer “Philosophy of Psychology” in Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, (M. Salmon, ed.). Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1992. Available on Website. |
|
April 8 |
Philosophy of Medicine. Same. |
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April 10 |
Philosophy of the Social Sciences: pp. 404-425. of Merrilee Salmon “Philosophy of the Social Sciences” in Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, (M. Salmon, ed.). Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1992. Available on Website. |
|
April 15 |
Philosophy of the Social Sciences: same. |
April 17 |
Buffer |
|
April 22 |
Quiz |
