Philosophy 4400/5400: Philosophy of Science

(Fall Semester 2011)

 

MWF 2-2:50 PM

HLMS 245

 

Professor:         Carol Cleland

Office:             HLMS 282 (EXT 2-7619)

Office Hours:   MW 3-4 pm, F 12-1 pm, & by appointment

 

 

Required Texts:

 

Curd & Cover, Philosophy of Science.

Wimsatt, Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings.

 

Selected Readings on my web page (PHIL 4400/5400, "Additional Materials and Links"):   

 

            http://spot.colorado.edu/%7Ecleland/currentCourses.html

 

Requirements:

 

1.         Reading Assignments & Class Discussions:

 

Students are expected to have read and thought about the assigned readings before coming to class. Informed participation in class discussions is expected of all students. Class participation is one of a number of factors (e.g., improvement, class attendance) that I use to determine a grade in borderline cases.

 

2.         Evaluation:     

 

            Your grade will be based on 2 short papers and a term paper; there are no exams!

 

a.     Short Papers:  First Paper (assigned Nov. 4 and due Nov 11): I will provide a small selection of topics, and you will have one week to write it.  It should consist of 3-4 (typewritten, double-spaced, normal font) pages. Second paper (due Nov 30):  You will write the first part of your term paper, focusing on the information that you need to draw upon to develop your central thesis; your task is to convince me that you understand the relevant readings and issues. Each short paper is worth approximately 20% of your final grade, for a total of 40% of your final grade.

 

b.     Term Paper:  A term paper (typed, double-spaced, normal font) is due on or before Thursday, December 15; there is no final exam! Your term paper is worth approximately 60% of your grade.

 

1.   Undergraduates are required to write a 7-10 page term paper: A list of topics will be made available on Monday, Nov. 14. Undergraduates may, however, choose their own topic in consultation with me. The deadline for receiving permission to do so is Monday, Nov. 14; after this date, students must select a topic from the list.

 

2.   Graduate students are required to write a 10-15 page term paper on a topic of their choice (selected in consultation with me) by Monday, Nov. 14.

 

 

Notes:

a. Undergraduate and graduate students will be graded independently; my expectations for graduate students are higher.

     

b. I do not automatically accept late work. If you believe that you have a good excuse see me before the paper is due. If you are sick, bring a note from a physician.

 

c. Improvement over the course of the semester, regular attendance, and participation in class discussions will be used to determine grades in borderline cases, which occur more frequently than one might think!

 

Course Description:

 

This course provides an advanced introduction to foundational issues in philosophy of science. No background in philosophy of science or science is presupposed. Among the issues that we will discuss are: What is the nature of the evidential relation between a scientific hypothesis/theory and the data that supports it; can scientists confirm or falsify their hypotheses and theories? Is there a single "scientific method" for all of science; does the methodology of, e.g., the historical sciences differ from that of the experimental sciences? What does scientific objectivity and rationality really consist in? What is a law of nature? What role do natural laws play in scientific reasoning? What is a scientific explanation; is it just prediction in reverse? Can probabilistic (indeterministic) explanations really explain? The last three weeks of the class will be devoted to discussion of an important new book, William Wimsatt's Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings, which argues against the popular reductionist idea that nature can be described by a single, fundamental theory of everything.