Introduction to PHilosophy of Science
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Date
Readings to be Discussed
Monday, September 30
Nolt, J. E. 1997. "Informal Logic." in Logics. London: Prentice-Hall: 3-12.
Wednesday, October 2
I’m out of town, so class is cancelled.
Read about the course’s learning objectives, grading, and policies.
You will be quizzed on this (and the material from Monday) later in the week on Canvas.
Induction and Generalizations
Monday, October 7
Hempel, Carl G[KK1] . (1966). “Scientific Inquiry: Invention and Test,” pp. 3-18 in Philosophy of Natural Science. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Wednesday, October 9
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Robert J. Fogelin. [KK2] (2013). “Arguments to and from Generalizations,” pp. 179-191 in Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. [HANDOUT] [PPT]
Monday, October 14
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Robert J. Fogelin. (2013). “Causal Reasoning,” pp. 215-228 in Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Anderson, Chris. 2008. "The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete." Wired Magazine 16 (7): 16-07.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Analogies and Social Epistemology
Wednesday, October 16
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Robert J. Fogelin. (2013). “Arguments from Analogy,” pp. 204-208 in Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Kuhn, Thomas. (2012). “Postscript—1969,” pp. 163-189 in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Monday, October 21
Gillies, Donald. 2005. "Hempelian and Kuhnian approaches in the philosophy of medicine: the Semmelweis case." Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 36 (1): 159-181. [HANDOUT] [PPT]
Wednesday, October 23
Tulodziecki, Dana. 2013. "Shattering the Myth of Semmelweis." Philosophy of Science 80 (5): 1065-1075. [HANDOUT] [PPT]
Monday, October 28
Longino, H. E. 1990. “Values and objectivity” in Science as social knowledge: values and objectivity in scientific inquiry. Princeton University Press, 62-82.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Probability
Wednesday, October 30
I will be out of town, so this lecture is pre-recorded.
Hacking, Ian. (2001). “How to Calculate Probabilities,” pp. 23-78 in An Introduction to Probability and Inductive Logic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Monday, November 4
Lin, Elvie. Manuscript. A Bayesian Interpretation of Semmelweis.
Special Guest: Elvie Lin!
Wednesday, November 6
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Robert J. Fogelin. (2013). “Inference to the Best Explanation,” pp. 195-204 in Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Lipton, Peter. (2004). “Inference to the Best Explanation,” pp. 55-70 in Inference to the Best Explanation. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. Original edition 1991.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Monday, November 11 Veteran’s Day: No class.
Wednesday, November 13
Khalifa, Kareem, and Richard Lauer. 2021. "Do the Social Sciences Vindicate Race's Reality?" Philosophers' Imprint 21 (21).
Monday, November 18
Copi, Irving M, Carl Cohen, and Victor Rodych. (2019). “Causal Reasoning” pp. 520-556. In Introduction to Logic. 15th ed. Routledge.
Wednesday, November 20
Roberts, Dorothy. 2012. "Debating the Cause of Health Disparities: Implications for Bioethics and Racial Equality." Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 21 (3): 332-341.
Hochman, Adam. 2021. "Against the Reification of Race in Bioethics: Anti-Racism without Racial Realism." The American Journal of Bioethics 21 (2): 88-90.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Monday, November 25
Peebles, Ian Shane. "To race or not to race: A normative debate in the philosophy of race." Philosophers' Imprint. forthcoming. [PPT] [HANDOUT]
Decision-Making and Values in Science
Wednesday, November 27: Class cancelled.
Monday, December 2
Douglas, H. E. 2000. "Inductive risk and values in science." Philosophy of Science 67 (4): 559-579. [PPT] [HANDOUT]
Wednesday, December 4
Bright, Liam Kofi. 2018. "Du Bois’ democratic defence of the value free ideal." Synthese 195 (5): 2227-2245. [PPT] [HANDOUT]
Date
Readings to be Discussed
Monday, September 30
Nolt, J. E. 1997. "Informal Logic." in Logics. London: Prentice-Hall: 3-12.
Wednesday, October 2
I’m out of town, so class is cancelled.
Read about the course’s learning objectives, grading, and policies.
You will be quizzed on this (and the material from Monday) later in the week on Canvas.
Induction and Generalizations
Monday, October 7
Hempel, Carl G[KK1] . (1966). “Scientific Inquiry: Invention and Test,” pp. 3-18 in Philosophy of Natural Science. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Wednesday, October 9
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Robert J. Fogelin. [KK2] (2013). “Arguments to and from Generalizations,” pp. 179-191 in Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. [HANDOUT] [PPT]
Monday, October 14
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Robert J. Fogelin. (2013). “Causal Reasoning,” pp. 215-228 in Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Anderson, Chris. 2008. "The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete." Wired Magazine 16 (7): 16-07.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Analogies and Social Epistemology
Wednesday, October 16
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Robert J. Fogelin. (2013). “Arguments from Analogy,” pp. 204-208 in Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Kuhn, Thomas. (2012). “Postscript—1969,” pp. 163-189 in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Monday, October 21
Gillies, Donald. 2005. "Hempelian and Kuhnian approaches in the philosophy of medicine: the Semmelweis case." Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 36 (1): 159-181. [HANDOUT] [PPT]
Wednesday, October 23
Tulodziecki, Dana. 2013. "Shattering the Myth of Semmelweis." Philosophy of Science 80 (5): 1065-1075. [HANDOUT] [PPT]
Monday, October 28
Longino, H. E. 1990. “Values and objectivity” in Science as social knowledge: values and objectivity in scientific inquiry. Princeton University Press, 62-82.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Probability
Wednesday, October 30
I will be out of town, so this lecture is pre-recorded.
Hacking, Ian. (2001). “How to Calculate Probabilities,” pp. 23-78 in An Introduction to Probability and Inductive Logic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Monday, November 4
Lin, Elvie. Manuscript. A Bayesian Interpretation of Semmelweis.
Special Guest: Elvie Lin!
Wednesday, November 6
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Robert J. Fogelin. (2013). “Inference to the Best Explanation,” pp. 195-204 in Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Lipton, Peter. (2004). “Inference to the Best Explanation,” pp. 55-70 in Inference to the Best Explanation. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. Original edition 1991.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Monday, November 11 Veteran’s Day: No class.
Wednesday, November 13
Khalifa, Kareem, and Richard Lauer. 2021. "Do the Social Sciences Vindicate Race's Reality?" Philosophers' Imprint 21 (21).
Monday, November 18
Copi, Irving M, Carl Cohen, and Victor Rodych. (2019). “Causal Reasoning” pp. 520-556. In Introduction to Logic. 15th ed. Routledge.
Wednesday, November 20
Roberts, Dorothy. 2012. "Debating the Cause of Health Disparities: Implications for Bioethics and Racial Equality." Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 21 (3): 332-341.
Hochman, Adam. 2021. "Against the Reification of Race in Bioethics: Anti-Racism without Racial Realism." The American Journal of Bioethics 21 (2): 88-90.
[HANDOUT] [PPT]
Monday, November 25
Peebles, Ian Shane. "To race or not to race: A normative debate in the philosophy of race." Philosophers' Imprint. forthcoming. [PPT] [HANDOUT]
Decision-Making and Values in Science
Wednesday, November 27: Class cancelled.
Monday, December 2
Douglas, H. E. 2000. "Inductive risk and values in science." Philosophy of Science 67 (4): 559-579. [PPT] [HANDOUT]
Wednesday, December 4
Bright, Liam Kofi. 2018. "Du Bois’ democratic defence of the value free ideal." Synthese 195 (5): 2227-2245. [PPT] [HANDOUT]