Philosophy 258/Science 267: Introduction to the Philosophy of ...

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science describes reality—does the world actually contain electrons or genes, for example, or is a literal interpretation of our scientific theories unwarranted?
Introduction to the Philosophy of Science Philosophy 258/ Science 267 Wednesdays, 6:30-9:20 Hagey Hall, 1102 Professor Information: Dr. Nicholas Ray [email protected] Hagey Hall 326 Office Hours: Mondays 1:00-3:00 (or by appointment) Teaching Assistant Information: Janet Michaud [email protected] Hagey Hall 337 Office Hours: To be announced

DESCRIPTION This course will be an historical and thematic examination of developments in the philosophy of science over the past century. While many of the ideas we will discuss go back further than the last century (some to the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, some arguably to the ancient Greeks), we will limit the historical scope of the class in order to get an excellent overview of the main ideas in the contemporary literature regarding the nature of scientific theorizing, the ontological status of theoretical entities, and the peculiarities of scientific knowledge. Because the sciences are widely considered to be one of our best sources of knowledge about the world, we will examine certain philosophical issues regarding how such knowledge is gained, including (but not limited to) problems of induction, the nature of probabilistic reasoning in the sciences, the verification/falsification of scientific claims (or even whole theories), the relationship between different scientific paradigms, and the role of formal systems (mathematics/logic) in the sciences, and the epistemological, social, political, an ethical consequences of gender imbalances in scientific research—both theory and practice. We will study several different accounts of the methods used by scientists, including accounts proposed by Carnap, Popper, and Kuhn. We will also ask whether science describes reality—does the world actually contain electrons or genes, for example, or is a literal interpretation of our scientific theories unwarranted?

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OBJECTIVES The course seeks to give students a comprehensive survey of the key philosophical questions that philosophers ask about scientific knowledge and the nature of scientific theorizing. To this end we will become acquainted with key concepts in the philosophy of science—including their historical (and often contested) development—in order to properly examine the topics and issues listed in the Description and Reading Schedule. By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Utilize traditional philosophical tools, such as conceptual analysis and argumentation, to better understand key philosophical issues in the study of science. 2. Grasp the important role of other non-philosophical disciplines in the formation of philosophy of science, including history, sociology, psychology, and mathematics (to name but a few). 3. Identify the political and institutional frameworks in which science is done, and how this impacts our understanding of the sciences and scientific knowledge. 4. Apply well-developed readings, writing, and argumentation skills. (For students who would like to develop such skills, we will hold occasional tutorials in effective writing and argument. See Schedule below.)

COURSE TEXTS 1. Peter Godfrey-Smith. Theory and Reality. University of Chicago Press. 2. Thomas Kuhn. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press. There are any number of places on the internet offering free access to Kuhn’s Structure, so you need not buy the book in our bookstore. Other primary sources will be available electronically through the course LEARN site. All readings listed below on the Schedule are required unless otherwise indicated. There are also some readings (not available as e-reserve items) you can link to through the Readings Schedule (below). Proper versions of these readings are available on 3 hour course reserve at the library. Please use proper (i.e. non-html) versions if you use these sources for any of the writing assignments.

LEARN (COURSE WEBSITE) There is a LEARN course web site for this course. This site will contain links to the ereserve readings (where applicable), instructions for the assignments, lecture notes, your grades, and discussion boards. To access the log in page, type the following address into your web browser: (http://learn.uwaterloo.ca)

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UW LIBRARY e-RESERVE Some of the readings are available electronically through UW Library e-Reserves. These readings may be accessed through the LEARN course web site. You will need to enter your WatIAM username and password to enter the site. For copyright reasons, only students registered in the class may access these materials. Alternatively, you can log in to the library e-reserves site directly at (https://www.reserves.uwaterloo.ca/ares/)

ASSESSMENTS Assignment/Test Reading Analysis x 2

Due Date January 29 & March 5 February 5& Multiple Choice Test x 2 March 19 Term Paper April 2 Online Reading Ongoing Questions x 5

Value 15 x 2 = 30% 15 x 2 = 30% 30% 2 x 5 = 10%

Length 1 to 1.5 pages

Not applicable

5 to 6 pages A few sentences, or at most a very short paragraph

*There is no exam for this class The Reading Analyses and the Term Paper must be submitted to the appropriate Dropbox on LEARN by the relevant due dates. Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day, including weekends. These penalties can only be waived in cases of documented illness, family emergency, or other rare circumstances. OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENTS Reading Analyses You will be asked to read a passage and relate it to course material, while answering a specific question about the passage. The idea is to exhibit a deep knowledge of course material while conveying your thoughts and arguments in a very concise way. More information to follow on details. Multiple Choice Tests These tests are designed to ensure that you are doing the relevant readings and coming to lecture. The questions will be mostly about particular and very specific content, directly from course reading materials and lectures. Students not keeping up with the readings or not coming to lecture on a regular basis will find these tests difficult. Students who do most of the readings, and who come to class regularly, will find them much, much easier.

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Term Paper The Term Paper will highlight and critically synthesize key course themes and content. You will be required to use course materials and conduct your own research on a topic relevant to the course. More details will be made available on the course LEARN website later in the term. We will also discuss the essay and what is expected of you in lectures prior to the end of the term. Students who are concerned about writing an essay worth 30% of their final grade may want to discuss with Prof. Ray the opportunity to do a Proposal for their papers. This will give you a better idea of where your ideas stand before submitting a final draft of the paper. Reading Questions Starting in the second week, students will be able to post questions on the LEARN site. These questions must be posted by 3:00pm on each Wednesday. Professor Ray will use them to direct and focus class discussion on material the class finds most interesting or perplexing. These should be at most a few sentences in length, and deal with a particular part of a particular reading from the week that you want to see addressed. (We will go over some examples in class.) You must do 5 of these throughout the term, but can post no more than 1 per week. This means that you want to spread them out. READING SCHEDULE Week 1, Introduction: What is the Philosophy of Science Theory and Reality Chapter 1, Introduction Galileo, Excerpt from Dialogue Concerning Two Chief World Systems (“Second Day”) Week 2, Modern Philosophy, Kant, and the Sciences Kant, Introduction to Critique of Pure Reason (pages 27-42 of the following PDF) (http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/kant/critique-pure-reason6x9.pdf) Week 3, Logical Empiricism Theory and Reality Chapter 2, Logic Plus Empiricism Vienna Circle, “The Scientific Conception of the World: the Vienna Circle” (http://evidencebasedcryonics.org/pdfs/viennacircle.pdf) (OPTIONAL) Kathleen Okruhlik, “Logical Empiricism, Feminism, and Neurath’s Auxiliary Motive”. Week 4, Induction and Confirmation Theory and Reality Chapter 3, Induction and Confirmation (OPTIONAL) Hempel, “Studies in the Logic of Confrimation” Nelson Goodman, “The New Riddle of Induction” in Fact, Fiction, and Forecast

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Week 5, Popper’s Philosophy of Science: Falsification and Demarcation Theory and Reality Chapter 4, Popper Popper, Excerpt from The Logic of Scientific Discovery Week 6, Kuhn’s Philosophy of Science I* Theory and Reality Chapter 5, Kuhn and Normal Science Kuhn, Chapters II, III, and IV from The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Week 7, Kuhn’s Philosophy of Science II and Post Kuhnian Philosophy of Science* Theory and Reality Chapter 6, Kuhn and Revolutions Kuhn, Chapters VI and IX from The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Theory of Reality Chapter 7, Lakatos, Laudan, Feyerabend, and Frameworks Feyerabend, Excerpts from Against Method (Available on e-reserve through LEARN.) * Week 6 and Week 7 (and maybe even Week 8!) may not be divided up in exactly this way. We will cross that bridge when we get to it. Week 8, Feminism and the Philosophy of Science Theory and Reality Chapter 9, Feminism and Science Studies Longino, “In Search of Feminist Epistemology” (OPTIONAL, BUT GOOD!) Wylie and Okruhlik, “Philosophical Feminism: Challenges to Science” Week 9, Naturalism Theory and Reality Chapter 10, Naturalist Philosophy in Theory and Practice Quine, “Epistemology Naturalized” (OPTIONAL) Sosa, “Nature Unmirrored, Epistemology Naturalized” Week 10, Scientific Realism Theory and Reality Chapter 12, Scientific Realism Hacking, Chapter 1 of Representing and Intervening van Fraassen, Excerpt from The Scientific Image Week 11, Explanation Theory and Reality Chapter 13, Explanation Hempel, Excerpts from Philosophy of Natural Science Week 12, Wrap-up and the Social Epistemology of Science A collection of excerpts from recent debates between Kitcher, Solomon, and Longino on democratizing knowledge (with some extra work from Carla Fehr and Heather Douglas, time permitting)

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OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION Cross-listed course: Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which rubric it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science rubric. Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals. Other sources of information for students: Academic Integrity website (Arts) Academic Integrity Office (uWaterloo) Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: Note for students with disabilities: The AccessAbility Services office, located in Needles Hall Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

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