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 |