Philosophy
of Science
syllabus
San José
State University
Philosophy 160 sec 03
“Philosophy of Science”
ONLINE
Spring 2006
Prof. Janet D. Stemwedel
Department of Philosophy, FOB 232
jstemwed@email.sjsu.edu
http://www.stemwedel.org
Office Hours: Monday 1:30-3:00 pm, Wednesday 10:00 am-12:00 noon,
or by appointment.
Course
Description:
This course will explore what science is, what it does, and how it works. We
will examine: the features of its methodology which distinguish science from
pseudo-science; how theoretical considerations and experiments interact to shape
the scientific picture of the world; how scientific theories evolve and how
theories from different scientific disciplines are related; and whether science
does or should purport to give us a literally true picture of the world. We
will consider not only what is peculiar to the culture of science, but also
how this scientific culture fits into the culture of the larger society.
Prerequisites: Completion of core GE requirements, upper division standing, completion of WST.
Course requirements:
Reading responses. For 6 of the reading assignments, you will
be asked to write a short essay (1 typed, double-spaced page, approximately
300 words) engaging with some issue or issues in the reading. (Specific instructions
for the reading response assignments will be posted.) The goal of these assignments
is to help you read in an active, engaged way, and to encourage you to develop
your own view about these issues. Reading responses are due in class on the
dates listed in the program. No late reading responses will be accepted,
but I will drop your lowest reading response grade before calculating your final
grade. Taken together, the reading responses will count for 20% of your course
grade.
Online discussions. Dialogue and discussion will play an essential
role in our project of analyzing and assessing the central issues of the course.
Discussions give you an opportunity to work with your classmates to understand,
integrate, and challenge the claims made in reading assignments and lectures.
There are 15 specific reading assignments flagged for discussion in the Program;
you are required to make quality contributions in 10 of these discussions. (A
discussion rubric will be posted to specify what is necessary for "quality
contributions.") Of course, participation in additional discussion threads
may well benefit you and your classmates, so you are encouraged to take part
in all of them. Your participation in these discussions will count for 20% of
your course grade.
Group tasks. Philosophical questions only make sense if you actively engage with them. Therefore, you will take part in 6 groups tasks that ask you and the members of your group to take on a philosophical problem or thought experiment, discuss it, and work as a group to develop a response to it. You will be graded both on the response your group develops and on your individual contribution to the group. (A group task rubric will be posted to specify what a good individual contribution to the group looks like.) Your participation in group tasks will count for 20% of your course grade. There is a 7th group task (the first group task of the semester) for which participation is optional but strongly recommended. Participation in this task will count for extra credit in your group task average.
Quizzes. There will be 5 objective-item quizzes over the course of the term to help you check your mastery of particular concepts, terminology, and philosophical positions. These online quizzes are open-book. The quizzes will count for 10% of your course grade.
Final
exam. There will be a final exam for this course. The exam is intended
to evaluate your grasp of material from assigned readings, lecture, and class
discussions. The exam will be consist of a set of short essay questions that
will require you to reflect critically on the course material. More details
on the format and content will be posted well ahead of the exam. The final exam
will count for 15% of the course grade.
"Journal Club" (research assignment) There will be
an assignment that requires you to find articles from the popular and the scholarly
scientific literature, analyze these articles, develop an annotated bibliography,
and write a discussion of the different patterns of communication in popular
and scholarly scientific articles. The research assignment will count for 15%
of your course grade.
Grading:
Reading
responses: |
20% |
Discussion: |
20% |
Group
tasks: |
20% |
Quizzes: |
10% |
Final
exam: |
15% |
Research
assignment: |
15% |
Total: |
100% |
Your marks on assignments will be converted to percentages (e.g., 15/20 = 75%) and used to compute letter grades as follows:
A+ |
98-100% | C+ |
77-79% |
A |
93-97% | C |
73-76% |
A- |
90-92% | C- |
70-72% |
B+ |
87-89% | D+ |
67-69% |
B |
83-86% | D |
60-66% |
B- |
80-82% | F |
0-59% |
Academic Honesty. I expect you to be familiar with university policies on plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty. As well, I expect you to understand the difference between proper attribution of the words and ideas of others and plagiarism. If you do not understand the difference, please make an appointment with me to discuss proper attribution as soon as possible. Plagiarism or cheating will result in a failing grade in this course, and offenders may be subject to further administrative sanctions.
Official
academic integrity statement from the Office of Judicial Affairs:
"Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San
José State University, and the University's Academic Integrity Policy
requires you to be honest in all your academic work. Faculty members are required
to report all infractions to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The policy on academic
integrity can be found at: "
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the DRC to establish a record of their disability. |
AREA R GOALS AND CONTENT: This course fulfils Area R of upper division GE. The goals of this course are for students to cultivate knowledge of the scientific study of the physical universe and its life forms and to understand and appreciate the interrelationship of science and human beings to each other.
In this course, students are expected to acquire certain upper-level General Education competencies. In particular, they should be able to:
2. “distinguish science from pseudo-science”: We touch on this theme throughout the course, but especially in our discussion of Popper in Module 3. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate this particular competency in the "Science or Pseudo-Science?" group task. 3. “apply a scientific approach to answer questions about the earth and environment”: This competency is one of the main themes of the course, especially in Module 2. Students will demonstrate their ability to apply a scientific approach in each of the 7 group tasks over the course of the semester. |
Required
Texts:
Peter Godfrey-Smith, Theory and Reality: an Introduction to the Philosophy
of Science (PGS)
Philosophy 160 Course Reader (CR) — available for purchase at Maple
Press
A NOTE ON PACING: For each assignment in the Program, I have listed a due date (the target due date). I have also specified a date by which each module must be completed. The "module due date" is intended to allow those of you who may need a little extra time at first to adjust to the online environment to have that time. However, if you allow yourself this extra adjustment time, you should note the following:
|
SPRING RECESS is March 27-March 31. I won't schedule any "hard deadlines" during this week, but you can still take quizzes, submit essays, and participate in online discussions during the break.
PROGRAM:
W - Jan. 25, by 12 noon: You will be able to access the course website. Log
in and start exploring!
Tu -Jan. 31, 8:00 - 10:00 PM (IS 134 A).
FIRST CLASS; WebCT orientation and initial remarks about the course. A "group task" to give you a feel for what online group work will be like.
| 1. Introduction:
What is Science?/Logical Empiricism. To be discussed: What makes science different from other human activities? What does science do? What does science achieve? What roles do logic and empiricism play in science? How did the logical positivists and logical empiricists understand science? |
Reading:
PGS, Ch. 1 “Introduction” (1-18).
Stephen S. Carey, “Science,” from A Beginner’s Guide to
the Scientific Method (1-7) CR
Carl Hempel, Philosophy of Natural Science, 2.1-2.2 (3-9) CR
PGS, Ch. 2 “Logic Plus Empiricism” (19-38).
Herbert Feigl, “Logical
Empiricism” CR
Recommended: Peter Galison, “Aufbau/Bauhaus: Logical Positivism
and Architectural Modernism” CR
Discussion
1:
Carey reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 1; opens Jan. 25, closes
Feb. 12)
Discussion
2:
Feigl reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 8; opens Jan. 31, closes
Feb. 21)
Group Task
1:
"Cyclic Variations in Grass Growth" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February
8)
This Group Task is optional but strongly recommended.
Quiz:
"Philosophical Jargon" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 8)
Reading Response Essay #1 (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 8)
MODULE 1 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. FEBRUARY 22, 2006.
| 2. Induction
and Confirmation/Challenges in Theory Testing. To be discussed: What can an experiment tell us about the world? Can I prove the sun will rise tomorrow? How are scientific theories tested? What are the limits to what an experiment can tell me? |
Reading:
PGS, Ch. 3 “Induction and Confirmation” (39-56).
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, §IV CR
Hempel, Philosophy of Natural Science, 2.3 (10-18) CR
Hempel, Philosophy of Natural Science, 3.1-3.5 (19-32) CR
Pierre Duhem, “Physical Theory and Experiment” CR
W.V. Quine, “Two Dogmas of Empiricism” CR
Discussion 3:
Hempel reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 15; opens Feb. 8, closes
Mar. 14)
Quiz:
"Classify the Argument" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 15)
Reading Response Essay #2 (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 15)
Group Task
2:
"Twin Earth 'Water'" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 22)
MODULE 2 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. MARCH 15, 2006.
| 3. Popper
and Falsification: To be discussed: What is the distinguishing mark of scientific activity? How do we distinguish science from pseudo-science? Does the problem of induction make science impossible? |
Reading:
PGS,
Ch. 4 “Popper: Conjecture and Refutation” (57-74).
Karl Popper, “Science: Conjectures and Refutations” CR
Popper, “The Problem of Induction” (426-432) CR
Recommended: Carey, “Fallacies in the Name of Science”
(107-126) CR
Discussion
4:
Popper reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 1; opens Feb. 22, closes Mar.
21)
Group Task
3:
"Science or Pseudo-science?" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 1)
Quiz:
"Classify the Hypothesis" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 1)
Reading Response Essay #3 (due by11:59 pm Wednesday, March 1)
MODULE 3 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. MARCH 22, 2006.
| 4. Kuhn:
Paradigms and Normal Science/Crisis and Revolution/Theory-laden Observations
and the Question of Progress. To be discussed: What is a paradigm? What role does theory play in the everyday practice of science? What are the goals of normal science? What factors lead to scientific crisis? How do scientists respond to crisis? How do scientists choose between competing scientific theories? How do scientists choose between competing scientific theories? Are observations objective? How can we be sure science is making progress? |
Reading:
PGS, Ch. 5 “Kuhn and Normal Science” (75-86).
Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Ch. II, “The
Route to Normal Science” (10-22) CR
Kuhn, SSR, Ch. III, “The Nature of Normal Science” (23-34) CR
Kuhn, SSR, Ch. IV, “Normal Science as Puzzle-solving” (35-42) CR
Recommended: Kuhn, SSR, “Postscript,” §§1-3 (176-191)
CR
Recommended: Margaret Masterman, “The Nature of a Paradigm”
CR
PGS, Ch. 6 “Kuhn and Revolutions” (87-101).
Kuhn, SSR, Ch. X, “Revolutions as Changes of World View” (111-135)
CR
Kuhn, SSR, “Postscript,” §§1-3 (176-191) CR
Discussion
5:
Kuhn reading, Ch. II, III, IV (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 8; opens Mar.
1, closes Apr. 5)
Reading Response Essay #4 (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 8)
Discussion
6:
Kuhn reading, Ch. X (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 15; opens Mar. 8, closes
Apr. 12)
Group Task
4:
"Should I be a Copernican?" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 15)
Group Task
5:
"Inverting Goggles" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 22)
MODULE 4 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. APRIL 12, 2006.
| 5. Alternatives
to Kuhn: Lakatos, Laudan, and Feyerabend: To be discussed: How do scientists modify scientific theories? How do scientists choose between competing scientific theories? Is theory choice rational? How important is "thinking outside the box" to the scientist? |
Reading:
PGS, Ch. 7 “Lakatos, Laudan, Feyerabend, and Frameworks” (102-121).
Discussion
7:
PGS reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, April 5; opens Mar. 22, closes Apr.
19)
Quiz:
"Whose View?" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, April 5)
MODULE 5 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. APRIL 19, 2006.
| 6. Sociology
of Science/Feminist Critiques of Science. To be discussed: How do the norms of the scientific community affect the scientific knowledge it produces? Are scientific facts discovered or created? Can a sociological account explain the success of science? Does science live up to its own norms? How does the composition of the scientific community affect the scientific knowledge it produces? How can we achieve objective knowledge of the world? |
Reading:
PGS, Ch. 8 “The Challenge from Sociology of Science” (122-135).
Barry Barnes and David
Bloor, “Relativism, Rationalism, and the Sociology of Knowledge”
CR
Recommended: B. Latour and S. Woolgar, “The Construction of a
Fact” CR
PGS, Ch. 9 “Feminism and Science Studies” (136-148).
The Biology and Gender Study Group, “The Importance of Feminist Critique
for Contemporary Cell Biology” CR
Helen E. Longino “Values and Objectivity” CR
Discussion
8:
Barnes and Bloor reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, April 12; opens Apr. 5,
closes Apr. 19)
Discussion
9:
Longino reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, April 19; opens Apr. 12, closes
Apr. 26)
Group Task
6:
"Unquestioned Assumptions" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, April 19)
Reading Response Essay #5 (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, April 19)
MODULE 6 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. APRIL 26, 2006.
| 7. Naturalism: To be discussed: What connection should philosophical theories have to scientific theories? What can science tell us about our philosophical accounts of science? What kind of connection to the world can science give us? |
Reading:
PGS, Ch. 10 “Naturalistic Philosophy in Theory and Practice” (149-162).
PGS,
Ch. 11 “Naturalism and the Social Structure of Science” (163-172).
Discussion
10:
PGS reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, Apr. 26; opens Apr.19, closes May 3)
MODULE 7 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. MAY 3, 2006.
| 8. Realism/Antirealism: To be discussed: Must a good theory be a true theory? Should a theory make claims about entities we can’t observe? What counts as observation? |
Reading:
PGS, Ch. 12 “Scientific Realism” (173-189).
Grover Maxwell, “The
Ontological Status of Theoretical Entities” CR
Bas C. Van Fraassen,
“Arguments Concerning Scientific Realism” CR
Ian Hacking, “Do
We See Through a Microscope?” CR
Charles Chihara and Carol Chihara, “A Biological Objection to Constructive
Empiricism” CR
Discussion
11:
Maxwell reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, May 3; opens Apr. 26, closes May
10)
Discussion
12:
van Fraassen reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, May 3; opens Apr. 26, closes
May 10)
Quiz:
"Varieties of Realism and Antirealism" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday,
May 3)
Reading Response Essay #6 (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, May 3)
Group Task
7:
"Black Box" (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, May 10)
MODULE 8 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. MAY 10, 2006.
| 9. Explanation: To be discussed: Does science explain? What does a good scientific explanation look like? |
Reading:
PGS, Ch. 13 “Explanation”
(190-201).
Carey, “Proposing Explanations” (26-44) CR
Carl G. Hempel and
Paul Oppenheim, “Studies in the Logic of Explanation” CR
Nancy Cartwright, “The Truth Doesn’t Explain Much” CR
Discussion
13:
Hempel and Oppenheim reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, May 10; opens May 3,
closes May 17)
Discussion
14:
Cartwright reading (due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, May 10; opens May 3, closes May
17)
MODULE 9 MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 P.M. MAY 17, 2006.
|
HARD DEADLINES FOR GROUP TASKS: Group Task 1: 11:59 pm Wednesday,
February 8 Group Task 2: 11:59 pm Wednesday, February 22 Group Task 3: 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 1 Group Task 4: 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 15 Group Task 5: 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 22 Group Task 6: 11:59 pm Wednesday, April 19 Group Task 7: 11:59 pm Wednesday, May 10 |
RESEARCH
ASSIGNMENT : Locate articles and post them to your group by March 24. Begin discussing articles by April 3. Start organizing findings by April 17. Final submission must be uploaded by 11:59 pm, Friday, May 5. |
| FINAL
EXAM: Available as soon as Module 9 is completed; due by 12:00 noon, Friday, May 24. |