Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
 

Description:

      This course serves as an introduction to contemporary philosophy of science and will have a survey format (that is, weíll try to get a feel for the "landscape").  Philosophy of science is concerned generally with what makes science a distinctive enterprise and what makes the claims of science and the activities of scientists epistemically respectable, if they are.  Attempts to address these issues have tended to focus attention on a few key concepts, which we will discuss and analyze throughout the term. Topics will include explanation, confirmation and the nature of evidence, theory development, and issues concerning theory interpretation, e.g. realism/anti-realism debates.  Where possible, these topics will be illustrated through actual historical episodes.  

      Classes will be a mixture of lecture and discussion.  Students will be required to write several short papers aimed, first and foremost, at clear, concise explication of the philosophical issues.  In effect, students will be introduced to both the "content" and the "methods" of modern philosophy of science.
 

Reading Materials:

I.  Books [available at the University Bookstore, 4326 University Ave. NE]:

Peter Kosso, Reading the Book of Nature  (Cambridge, 1992).
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 3rd Ed. (U. Chicago, 1996).

Student responsibilities and requirements:

1) Students are expected to complete all required readings and attend class regularly.  The content of readings and lectures are intended to be complementary; they will overlap substantially but not completely.  Students are responsible for both contents.

2) An email list [phil460a_sp07@u.washington.edu] will be established to provide an easy   means of communication concerning practical matters related to the course.  All students in the course will be subscribed by the instructor.  It will be assumed that students check their email accounts every day or two. 

3) An electronic discussion board will be maintained during the term.  Students should post regularly their comments and questions regarding readings and lecture material.  Students are required to post brief comments once every two weeks.  These comments may continue class discussion, raise questions with respect to readings, or develop lines of thought presented in other students' postings.  This assignment should not be overly burdensome; think honestly and creatively rather than worry about producing something that approximates a polished essay. 

    Discussion board: https://catalyst.washington.edu/webtools/epost/register.cgi?owner=awoody&id=15203

4) Three short structured essays (~5 pages) will be required.  Each must address specific questions assigned by the instructor and distributed approximately a week before the essay is due.  Due dates are:  April 24, May 17, and June 6.  Students have the option of revising one of the first two essays for an extra grade but are not required to do so.  Revised essays will be accepted from the time that a graded essay is returned to the student until 12:00 noon on Monday, June 4.  In order for a revision to be accepted, students must submit the original essay (with instructor's markings) along with the revised version.  [Grading policies for revisions are somewhat different from the grading policies for first time submissions; policies for revisions will be discussed in class after the first essay has been returned.]

Late essay policy:  Essays will not be accepted after the due date except in cases of documented emergency or prior arrangement with the instructor, i.e. If you don't speak with me beforehand, no extension will be granted. 

NOTE: Plagiarism is absolutely unacceptable under any circumstances.  Essays with plagiarism will be given grades of zero with no possibility of revision.  If you do not understand how to avoid plagiarism, it is your responsibility to talk with the instructor or someone else to get the information you need.

Grade Determination: 
 

Essay 1	30%	or	Essay 1, 2, 3	67.5%
Essay 2	30%		Revision	22.5%
Essay 3	30%		Discussion & Participation	10%
Discussion & Participation	10%		TOTAL	100%
TOTAL	100%

Topics and Readings:

Introduction
    Kosso, chapters 1, 2

Explanation (~2.5 weeks) 
    Kosso, chapter 3
    Hempel and Oppenheim, "Studies in the Logic of Explanation" 
    Cartwright, "The Truth Doesn't Explain Much" 
    Hempel, "Statistical Explanation" 
    Salmon, "Why Ask 'Why?'?  An Inquiry Concerning Scientific Explanation" 
    Van Fraassen,  "The Pragmatics of Explanation" 
    Friedman,  "Explanation and Scientific Understanding" 
    Kitcher, "Explanatory Unification"
    [Suggested:  Salmon, "Scientific Explanation"]

Confirmation and the Nature of Evidence (~2.5 weeks)
    Kosso, chapters 4, 5
    Carnap, "The Confirmation of Laws and Theories" 
    Hempel, "Studies in the Logic of Confirmation" 
    Popper,  "Science:  Conjectures and Refutations" 
    Duhem, "Physical Theory and Experiment"
    Goodman, "The New Riddle of Induction"
    Salmon and Earman, "The Confirmation of Scientific Hypotheses" 
    Horwich, "Wittgensteinian Bayesianism"

The Complexity of Observation (1 class)
    Kosso, chapter 6
    Hanson, "Observation"

Epistemic Attitudes and the Interpretation of Theory (~1 week)
    Kosso, pp.92-104
    Hacking, "Experimentation and Scientific Realism" 
    Van Fraassen, "Arguments Concerning Scientific Realism" 
    Fine, "And Not Anti-Realism Either" 
    Brown, "Explaining the Success of Science" 

Theory Change and Methodology (~2 weeks)
    Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
    Davidson,  "On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme"
    Lakatos, "Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes" 
    Laudan, "From Theories to Research Traditions" 
    Feyerabend, "How to Be a Good Empiricist - A Plea for Tolerance in Matters Epistemological" 

Wrapping Up
 

 Last Updated:3/25/07