Department of
Science and Technology Studies
HPSCGA26
Models and Facts in Science
Syllabus
Session
2014-5
Moodle site
Search for HPSCGA26 – Models and Facts in Science
Timetable
http://bit.ly/1tYYBVW
Description
This course explores two key themes in philosophy of science: models and facts. Models have
a complicated role in scientific practice, but a simple and cohesive treatment in the
philosophical literature. On the other hand, while it is hard to think of anything in science more
basic than facts, the philosophical literature is disparate, and scattered. This course therefore
aims to ground students in two core topics in philosophy of science, while developing their
analytical skills in two very different styles of philosophical enquiry.
Key Information
Assessment
Due date
Word
limit
Value
Literature review
11.59 pm, Friday 13th
Feb 2015
1000
20%
Analytic essay
11.59 pm, Friday 20th
Mar 2015
3000
60%
Seminar presentation
write-up
11.59pm, Friday 27th
Mar 2015
1000
20%
Prerequisites
none
Required texts
No required texts, although we will use Bailer-Jones, D. 2009. Scientific
Models in Philosophy of Science. University of Pittsburgh Press as a
reference text during the first half of the term. Specific readings are
indicated below.
HPSCGA26 Models and Facts in Science
2014-15 syllabus
Module tutor
Module tutor
Brendan Clarke
Contact
b.clarke@ucl.ac.uk | t: 020 7679 7132
Web
www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/staff/clarke
Office location
22 Gordon Square, Room 2.1
Office hours:
Friday 12.30-2.30pm, and by appointment
Aims and objectives
Aims:
•
•
•
•
To develop an understanding of two key philosophical issues: models and facts
To develop a sense of the connections that these issues have with other aspects of
philosophy of science (theories, realism, laws of nature, empiricism)
To place the shifting discourse surrounding each concept in the broader history of
philosophy of science (HoPoS) context
To relate these (often highly abstract) philosophical discussions to simple historical or
practical cases Objectives
By the end of this module students should be able to:
•
•
•
gained experience in doing philosophical work
written three essays, each emphasizing different aspects of philosophical work
developed substantial expertise on the topics of models and facts in science
2
HPSCGA26 Models and Facts in Science
2014-15 syllabus
Module plan
This course involves three elements: attendance at weekly seminars, topic presentations at
these seminars, and written coursework.
Seminars: each seminar will be based on a particular philosophical topic. Each seminar will
contain a short lecture, giving a schematic overview of a topic, a student presentation (see
below), and a group discussion. Seminar topics will be decided during framing sessions during
the first and sixth seminars of term. Seminars will be supported by a reading list on Moodle.
Seminar presentation: students will lead group discussions in the seminars. Topics to be
chosen at the week one seminar
Coursework: students will complete three pieces of written work for this module. The first of
these will be a short literature review of 1000 words, setting out the important philosophical
contributions to a topic of your choosing drawn from the module. This exercise, and the
feedback on it, will set the scene for a more substantial analytic essay of 3000 words on your
topic. The final piece of coursework will be a short summary of one of your seminar
presentations.
Assessment
summary
Description
Deadline
Word limit
Literature review
11.59 pm, Friday
th
13 Feb 2015
1000
Analytic essay
11.59 pm, Friday
th
20 Mar 2015
3000
Seminar presentation writeup
11.59pm, Friday
th
27 Mar 2015
1000
Essays must be submitted via Moodle. In order to be deemed complete on this module students
must attempt all three.
Criteria for assessment
The departmental marking guidelines for individual items of assessment can be found in the STS
Student Handbook.
3
HPSCGA26 Models and Facts in Science
2014-15 syllabus
Schedule
UCL
Wk
1
2
Date
Topic
Readings
16/01/15
Introduction, and some
historical background
Bailer-Jones 2002
Morgan and Morrison 1999
23/01/15
Models and
representations
Bailer-Jones 2009 chapter 8
Suarez 2010
French 2003
3
30/01/15
From theories to models
Bailer-Jones 2009 chapters 4 and 6
Suppes 1976
Suppe 2000
4
06/02/15
Analogies and metaphor
in modelling
Bailer-Jones 2009 chapters 3 and 5
Hesse 1963
Achinestein 1968
5
13/02/15
Models, data and
phenomena
Bailer-Jones 2009 chapter 7
Ankeny 2007
Leonelli 2009
11.59pm,
13/02/15
Literature review deadline
Reading Week
no lectures
6
27/02/15
Russell on facts
Russell 1919
SEP entry: logical atomism
7
06/03/15
Armstrong, and facts as
states of affairs
Armstrong 1997 chapters 1 and 8
Mumford 2007 chapter 6
8
13/03/15
Facts and ordinarylanguage philosophy
Austin 1954
Austin, Strawson, and Cousin 1950
Warnock 1989 chapter IV
9
20/03/15
Fleck, and the social
construction of facts
Fleck 1936
Latour 2004
11.59pm,
20/03/15
10
27/03/15
11.59pm,
27/03/15
Analytic essay deadline
Facts in practice
Morgan 2011
Seminar presentation write-up deadline
4
HPSCGA26 Models and Facts in Science
2014-15 syllabus
Reading list
There is no set text for this course. However, for the section of the module that deals with
models, an extremely useful general resource is:
Bailer-Jones, D. 2009. Scientific Models in Philosophy of Science. University of Pittsburgh Press
Other readings are listed below, and are made available in advance via Moodle.
Achinstein, P. 1968. Concepts of Science. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. Chapter 7 (pp. 203-225).
Ankeny, R. 2007. “Wormy Logic: Model Organisms as Case-Based Reasoning”, in Angela N. H. Creager,
Elizabeth Lunbeck, and M. Norton Wise (eds.), Science without Laws: Model Systems, Cases, Exemplary
Narratives. Chapel Hill, NC: Duke University Press, (pp. 46–58).
Armstrong, D. 1997. A World of States of Affairs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapters 1 (pp.
1-10) and 8 (pp. 113-138)
Austin, J.L. 1954. "Unfair to Facts" in Austin, J.L. 1961. Philosophical Papers. Oxford: Clarendon. Chapter 5
(pp. 102-122).
Austin, J.L., Strawson, P.F. and Cousin, D.R. 1950. Symposium on Truth. Proceedings of the Aristotelian
Society. 24(supp): 111-72. (JSTOR)
Bailer-Jones, D. 2002. Scientists' Thoughts on Scientific Models. Perspectives on Science. 10(3): 275-301.
Fleck, L. 1936. The Problem of Epistemology. in Cohen, R.S. and Schnelle, T. (eds). 1986. Cognition and
Fact: Materials on Ludwig Fleck. Dordrecht: D. Reidel. 79-112 (attached)
French, S. 2003. A Model-Theoretic Account of Representation (Or, I Don't Know Much about Art…but I
Know It Involves Isomorphism).Philosophy of Science. 70(5): 1472-1483.
Hesse, M. 1963. Models in Science. London: Sheed and Ward. Chapter 1: The Function of Models: A
Dialogue (pp. 8-62)
Latour, B. 2004. Why Has Critique Run out of Steam? From Matters of Fact to Matters of Concern. Critical
Inquiry. 30(2): 225-248.
Leonelli, S. 2009. On the locality of data and claims about phenomena. Philosophy of Science. 76(5): 737749. (publisher)
Morgan, M.S. 2011. "Travelling Facts" in Howlett, P. and Morgan, M.S. 2011. How Well Do Facts Travel?
Cambridge: CUP. Chapter 1 (pp. 3-39).
Morgan, M.S. and Morrison, M. 1999. "Models as mediating instruments". in Morrison , M.S.. and Morgan
M. 1999. Models as mediators: perspectives on natural and social sciences. Cambridge University Press.
Chapter 2.
Mumford, S. 2007. David Armstrong. Acumen. Chapter 6 (pp. 95-110)
Russell, B. 1918. The Philosophy of Logical Atomism part 1. The Monist. 28(4): 495-527.
Russell, B. 1919. The Philosophy of Logical Atomism part 2. The Monist. 29(1): 32-63.
Russell, B. 1919. The Philosophy of Logical Atomism part 4. The Monist. 2(3): 345-380.
Russell, B. 1919.The Philosophy of Logical Atomism part 3. The Monist. 29(2): 190-222.
SEP entry on Logical Atomism: (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logical-atomism/)
Suarez, M. 2010. Scientific Representation. Philosophy Compass. 5(1): 91-101.
Suppe, F. 2000. Understanding Scientific Theories: An Assessment of Developments, 19691998. Philosophy of Science. 67: S102-115. (publisher)
Suppes, Patrick. 1976. What is a Scientific Theory? In Morgenbesser, Sidney. 1967. Philosophy of Science
Today. New York: Basic Books. Chapter 6, pp. 55-67.
Warnock, G.J. 1989. J.L. Austin. London: Routledge. Chapter IV - Truth (pp. 45-64)
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