Fall 2003
PHI 3990
SPECIAL STUDIES IN PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
The Max Wartofsky Memorial
Reading Room,
Department of philosophy,
5-298, MW 2:05pm-3:20 pm
Professor Lorenzo
Magnani
Office: Department of
Philosophy, 5th floor, Vertical Campus
Phone: (Office) 646-312-4367
Email: lorenzo.magnani@unipv.it, lorenzo.magnani@cc.gatech.edu
Office hours: MW
3:20-4:00 and by appointment
.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
We
will examine the nature of scientific inquiry: its methods, aims, and results.
Issues to be explored will include: What relations are there between science
and philosophy? What is the status of the knowledge science produces? What
counts as truth objectivity, and progress in science? Can we differentiate
between scientific and pseudoscientific claims? Is scientific discovery a
reasoned process? What kinds of reasoning are involved in scientific inquiry?
We will examine these issues both from the perspective of traditional core
notions and contemporary challenges to these. We will also discuss the
so-called "abductive reasoning" and some cognitive issues in
epistemology.
REQUIREMENTS
I-II. There will be two take-home
essay exams: at midterm (maximum 20 points), and final essay covering the
material of the lectures, readings, and discussions (maximum 30 points). Topics
will be distributed one week before the paper is due. Papers are due at the beginning
of class on the due date or in my mailbox by noon.
They will test your knowledge of the readings and your
understanding of epistemological issues. For the take-home exams, you will
write your text wherever you chose and turn them in the due date.
III. There will be one in-class
quiz. This will be designed to test your comprehension of the readings and your
understanding of the issues discussed. The quiz will be worth a maximum of 20
points.
IV. There will be a final
in-class exam given during the scheduled exam time. The exam will cover the
whole course, but will consist of short answer questions and essay questions
based on the readings and lectures (maximum 20 points).
In summary, your final grade will be determined as
follows:
Two exams: 20 + 30 = 50 points maximum; the two essays
will count as 50% of your grade.
Quiz: 20 points maximum; the quiz will count 20% of
your grade.
Class Participation: 10 % To get an “A” for class
participation you must do more than just show up; you have to contribute to
class discussion. You are expected to show up having read the assignment for
the day and ready to talk about it.
Final Exam: 20 points.
Total Points Possible = 100
You can expect grades according to the Baruch Official
Grade System.
Due dates for assignments are firm deadlines. They are
announced well in advance, so please plan accordingly. There is no room in the
schedule to fall behind in either reading or writing assignments. Institute
regulations do not allow the grade of incomplete to be given except in cases of
extreme emergency. Students are expected to adhere to the Student Honor Code. Your
signature (which should be on all written work) is understood to be your
affirmation that the work is yours.
Please indicate your SSN
number in capital.
Essays: The text of the papers
should be between 1500 and 2000 words in length, typed, double-spaced, 12 point
font, page numbers, stapled, and word count included with your name. Do not
exceed the word limit by more than 100 words. Provide citations for all
quotations and sources used (not included in word count). Do not use extensive
quotations.
Quiz: There will be questions worth
of a total of 30 points: you may answer as many questions as you like, but the
maximum number of points you can receive is 20.
Final Exam: 20 points. The exam will
cover the whole course, but will consist of short answer questions and essay
questions based on the readings and lectures.
Class Format: The class will be a mixture
of lecture and discussion. I expect you all to show up having read the assignment
for that meeting and ready to use as a point of departure. You are encouraged
to question me and your classmates
I Introduction to Philosophy of
Science
September 3 & 8: Organization and Introduction: Interpretive Frameworks. Science,
Observation, Experiment.
Readings: Chalmers, Chapters I, II, III.
September 10 & 15: Induction and Falsificationism.
Readings: Chalmers, Chapters IV,V.
September 17 & 22: Sophisticated Falsificationism.
Readings:
Chalmers, Chapters VI, VII.
September 24 & 29: The Structure of Scientific
Revolutions. Research Programs in Science.
Readings: Chalmers, Chapters VIII, IX.
October 1 & 7 (Monday schedule): The Anarchistic Theory of
Science. Evidence and Hypothesis: The Role of External Factors.
Readings: Chalmers, Chapters X, XVI; Longino,
Chapter III (electronic reserve).
Paper 1 due by noon Tuesday September 24 (my
mailbox).
II The Logic of Scientific
Discovery: Epistemological and Cognitive Analysis
October 8 & 13 (no classes): Hypotheses Generation in Science.
Readings: Magnani, Chapter I.
October 15 (Monday schedule) & 20: Discovery and Innovation in Science and Technology: What is Abduction?
Readings: Magnani, Chapter II.
October 22 & 27: Manipulative Reasoning, Epistemic Mediators, Diagnostic Reasoning, and
Technology.
Readings: Magnani, Chapter III-IV.
October 29 & November 3: Inconsistencies and Hypothesis Withdrawal in Science.
Readings: Magnani, Chapters VI-VII.
November 5 & 10: Laboratories as Epistemic Mediators and as Reconfigurations of Natural
and Social Orders.
Readings: Knorr Cetina (electronic reserve).
In-Class Quiz: November 10.
III Conceptual Change and Theory Comparison in
Science:
Historical and Computational Issues
November 12 & 17: Revolutionary Conceptual Change and History of Science.
Readings: Thagard, Chapter I.
November 19 & 24: Concepts and Conceptual Change.
Readings: Thagard, Chapters II and III.
November 26 & December 1: A Computational Model of Theory Choice.
Readings: Thagard, Chapter IV.
December 3 & 8: Theory Dynamics and Explanation.
Readings: Thagard, Chapter V.
December 10: Objectivity,
Value Judgments, and External Factors in Theory Choice.
Readings: Kuhn, Chapter XIII.
Paper 2 due by noon Friday December 10 (my
mailbox).
REQUIRED TEXTS
A.F.
CHALMERS, What is This Thing Called
Science? Hackett, Indianapolis/Cambridge, 1999 (third edition).
L.
MAGNANI, Abduction, Reason, and Science.
Processes of Discovery and Explanation, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers,
New York, 2001.
P.
THAGARD, Conceptual Revolutions,
Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1992.
Electronic
Reserve:
H.E.
LONGINO, Science as Social Knowledge.
Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry, Princeton, University Press.,
Princeton, 1990,chapter III, Evidence and Hypothesis (electronic reserve).
K. KNORR
CETINA, Epistemic Cultures. How the
Sciences Make Knowledge, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1999,
Chapter II, What is a Laboratory?
(electronic reserve).
T.S.
KUHN, The Essential Tension. Selected
Studies in Scientific Tradition and Change, The University of Chicago Pres,
Chicago, 1997, Chapter XIII, Objectivity, Value Judgment, and Theory Choice
(electronic reserve).
Books 1,2,3 are available in the Bookstore.