Phil 382 Schedule-
   

    Abbreviations:
             T&R = Theory and Reality, Peter Godfrey-Smith
              LTL = Language, Truth, and Logic, A.J. Ayer
      Structure = The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn
              SEP =
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy


Day
Date
Topic
Required Reading
Supplementary Reading
Wed
3-Sep

Introduction


Fri

5-Sep

Introduction
T&R, ch 1

Logic Supplement

Papineau, "Philosophy of Science"

Ziman, "What is Science?"

Feldman, "What is Philosophy?" (UDrive)
LOGICAL POSITIVISM
Mon
8-Sep

Logical Positivism - Introduction
T&R, ch 2.1-2.3


Wed
10-Sep

Schlick on Verifiability
Schlick, "Positivism and Realism," sec II (UDrive) Notes on Schlick
Fri
12-Sep

Introduction to A.J. Ayer
Blackburn, Review of A.J. Ayer: A Life (section I)




Mon
15-Sep

Ayer - The Elimination of Metaphysics

(Last day to Add/Drop)
LTL, ch 1

Chisholm, "The Problem of Empiricism" (JSTOR)

Church, "Review of Language, Truth, and Logic" (JSTOR)
Wed
17-Sep

Ayer - The a priori

LTL, ch 4


Fri
19-Sep

Ayer - Truth and Probability

LTL, ch 5

Mon
22-Sep

Critiques of Positivism
T&R, ch 2.4-2.6 Quine, "Two Dogmas of Empiricism" (JSTOR)

Toynbee, "Sense and Nonsense" (UDrive)
Wed
24-Sep

Positivism Wrap-Up/Discuss Essay Assignment



Maxwell, "The Ontological Status of Theoretical Entities" (pp. 3-15) (UDrive)


INDUCTION & CONFIRMATION
Fri 26-Sep

Hume on Induction


T&R, ch 3.1

Hume, "Enquiry, Ch. 4" (UDrive)


Popper, "The Problem of Induction," (first section) (UDrive)

SEP, "Problem of Induction"

Mon
29-Sep

Deduction, Induction, and Explanatory Inference

T&R, ch 3.2

Hempel, Philosophy of Natural Science, ch 2.1
Hempel, Philosophy of Natural Science, ch 2 (UDrive)

Fitelson, "Inductive Logic"
Wed
1-Oct

Deduction, Induction, and Explanatory Inference (cont.)
(same as Monday)
Harman, "The Inference to the Best Explanation" (JSTOR)
Fri
3-Oct

The Ravens Paradox T&R, ch 3.3

Hempel, "Studies in the Logic of Confirmation" (JSTOR) (sections 3-5)

Mon
6-Oct

The Grue Paradox

T&R, ch 3.4

Goodman, "The New Riddle of Induction," section 4 (from Fact, Fiction, and Forecast) (UDrive)
Goodman, "The New Riddle of Induction," sections 1-3 (from Fact, Fiction, and Forecast)

Wed
8-Oct
The Grue Paradox (cont.)
(same as Monday)
Trout, "Paradoxes of Confirmation" (UDrive)

T&R
, ch 14.1-14.3

Strevens - BCT (Ravens) (UDrive)

McGowan, "Gruesome Connections" (JSTOR)

Godfrey-Smith, "Goodman's Problem and Scientific Methodology"

Norton, "A Material Theory of Induction"
POPPER
Fri
10-Oct

Karl Popper
T&R, ch 4.1-4.3

Popper, "Falsification Versus Conventionalism," sections III & IV (
UDrive)
Popper, "The Problem of Induction" (second section) (UDrive)
Mon
13-Oct

COLUMBUS DAY
NO CLASS
Tues
14-Oct

Karl Popper

Popper, "The Emprical Basis" (UDrive)

T&R
, ch 4.4 
Popper, "Falsification Versus Conventionalism," sections I & II (UDrive)
Wed
15-Oct

Critiques of Popper Salmon, "Rational Prediction" (JSTOR)

T&R
, ch 4.5

KUHN
Fri
17-Oct

Kuhn
Structure, ch 1-2

Mon
20-Oct

Kuhn
Structure, ch 4

T&R, ch 5
Structure, ch 3 & 5

Wed
22-Oct

Kuhn
Structure, ch 7-8


Structure, ch 6

Preface to Copernicus's De Revolutionibus
Fri


24-Oct

Kuhn
Structure, ch 8

T&R
, ch 6.1-6.2

Mon
27-Oct

Kuhn
Structure, ch 9

T&R
, ch 6.3

Wed
29-Oct

Kuhn

(Last day to withdraw with "W")
Structure, ch 10

T&R
, ch 6.4-6.5

Structure, ch 11

Structure
, ch 12
Fri
31-Oct

Kuhn Commentary

Happy Halloween!



MIDTERM PAPER DUE
Laudan, "Demystifying Underdetermination" (UDrive)




MIDTERM PAPER DUE
Hacking, "The Rationality of Science After Kuhn" (UDrive)

McMullin, "Rationality, Objectivity, and Values in Science" (UDrive)

MIDTERM PAPER DUE
Mon
3-Nov

Kuhn Commentary


(same as above)

SCIENCE/RELIGION & SCIENCE/PSEUDOSCIENCE
Wed
5-Nov
Science and Religion
Dawkins, "Is Science A Religion?"

Statement by 186 Leading Scientists

Feyerabend, "The Strange Case of Astrology" (UDrive)
Young, "Is Science A Religion?" (UDrive)

Davies, "Taking Science On Faith" (NYT Op-Ed)
Fri
7-Nov
Evolution/Intelligent Design

Intelligent Design Overview

Ruse, "Creation Science is not Science" (JSTOR)

Laudan, "Commentary: Science at the Bar - Causes for Concern" (JSTOR)
La Follette, "Introduction" (JSTOR)

SEP "Evolution"
SEP "Creationism"
SEP "Darwinism"

Many articles on the intelligent design issue are available in this issue of Science, Technology, and Human Values
Mon
10-Nov
Evolution/Intelligent Design
Laudan, "Commentary: Science at the Bar - Causes for Concern" (JSTOR)

Ruse, "Response to the Commentary: Pro Judice" (JSTOR)

Wed
12-Nov
No class
(Tuesday class schedule)
No class
(Tuesday class schedule)

Fri
14-Nov
Evolution/Intelligent Design
(continued from above)

Mon
17-Nov
Science and Pseudoscience
T&R, ch 4.6

Lakatos, "Science and Pseudoscience" (UDrive)
Popper, "Science: Conjectures and Refutations" (UDrive)

Langmuir, "Pathological Science"

Pool, "More Squabbling Over Unbelievable Result" (JSTOR)

NYTimes article on Cold Fusion
Wed
19-Nov
Science and Pseudoscience (continued from above)
Thagard, "Why Astrology is a Pseudoscience" (JSTOR)
Fri
21-Nov
Science and Pseudoscience Laudan "The Demise of the Demarcation Problem" (UDrive)
CRITIQUES OF SCIENCE
Mon
24-Nov
Feyerabend
T&R, ch 7
Feyerabend "How to Defend Society Against Science"
Wed
26-Nov

Feminist Critiques
T&R, ch 9.1-9.4
Fri
28-Nov
Happy Thanksgiving!
No Class



Mon
1-Dec
Feminist Critiques
Okruhlik, "Gender and the Biological Sciences" (UDrive)
Wed
3-Dec
Sokal Hoax
T&R, ch 9.5

Sokal, "A Physicist Experiments With Cultural Studies"

Hilgartner, "The Sokal Affair In Context" (JSTOR)

Boghossian, "What The Sokal Hoax Ought To Teach Us"
Sokal, "Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity"

Mermin, "What's Wrong With This Reading"

Responses to Mermin (in "LETTERS")
Fri
5-Dec
Sokal Hoax
(continued from above)

BAYESIANISM/MODERN THEORIES OF EVIDENCE
Mon
8-Dec
Bayesianism/Modern Theories of Evidence
T&R, ch 14-1-14.3

Wed
10-Dec
Bayesianism/Modern Theories of Evidence Strevens - BCT (Ravens) (UDrive)
Fri
12-Dec
Bayesianism/Modern Theories of Evidence T&R, ch 14.4-14.6

Mon
15-Dec
FINAL PAPER DUE FINAL PAPER DUE FINAL PAPER DUE
Fri
19-Dec
FINAL HW DUE
FINAL HW DUE
FINAL HW DUE