Course Syllabus
HU3700: Philosophy of Science
College of Science and Arts
Fall 2015
Instructor Information
Instructor:
Telephone:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Dr. Scott Marratto, Office Location: Walker 319B
Office – (906) 487-2613
smarratt@mtu.edu
Wednesdays 3-4:00 pm (or by appointment)
Course Identification
Course Number:
Course Name:
Course Location:
Class Times:
HU3700-R01
Philosophy of Science
Walker 109
TR 2:05 – 3:20pm
Course Description/Overview
This course will provide an introduction to some classic issues in the philosophy of science:
theory formation, the grounds of scientific knowledge-claims, the problem of induction and
the logic of scientific discovery, the role played by historical and cultural contexts in the
development of the sciences. Recent approaches to the study of science have tended to
highlight the actual practices of working scientists, the everyday work of experimenting,
writing articles and reports, arranging funding, setting up laboratories and research teams.
They have also tended to insist on the crucial role of political and economic contexts of
scientific research. In short, we might say that recent scholarly observers of science tend to
notice the sociological as well as the technological factors involved in the production of
1
scientific knowledge. This poses a challenge to traditional views of science as a “value-free”
activity conducted by disinterested investigators seeking the “objective” truth about
nature. This challenge has given rise to some very heated debates that have come to be
referred to as “the science wars.” In this course, we will examine the roots of the science
wars and we will develop critical tools for evaluating the various positions. We will begin
by examining some classical understandings of science as well as some very old
philosophical problems concerning the status of scientific knowledge. We will proceed to
raise some questions about scientific theory-formation and the nature of scientific
observation and experimentation by encountering some of the classical positions in the
philosophy of science. We will then proceed into an investigation of the social, historical,
political, and material contexts of science. We will consider Thomas Kuhn’s famous
analysis of the historicity of science—where long periods of “normal science” are
punctuated by periodic “revolutions” leading to “paradigm shifts”—, and we will encounter
a more radical position called “constructivism,” a view adhered to by an influential group of
contemporary scholars who see scientific “facts” as resulting from a complex process of
construction. Finally, we will, in the final section of this course, consider these various
perspectives on the sciences with reference to the development, in the last half of the 20th
century, of research in genetics and neuroscience.
Course Learning Objectives
This course will provide students with a richer understanding of scientific theory and
practice. Namely, it will introduce students to debates concerning the epistemological
foundations of the modern sciences and the nature of scientific practice. The course will
also help to sensitize students to the political, social, ecological and economic contexts of
modern science and will help them to understand how changes in these contexts have
affected scientific research in the 20th century. The primary goal will be to offer students
philosophical tools for critically evaluating the contemporary sciences and science policy,
whether as practitioners or as engaged citizens.
1. Tools for critically analyzing arguments and truth claims as well as our own
unquestioned assumptions.
2. Tools for examining texts and for understanding the nuances of rhetoric,
argumentation and persuasion.
3. Tools for the expression of rationally defensible claims and arguments in both
written and verbal forms.
4. Critical tools for understanding the historical contexts and development of
cultural and intellectual phenomena.
Note that these course objectives are in keeping with Michigan Tech’s Student Learning
Goal 4: Critical and Creative Thinking. Throughout the course we will develop skills
identified in the rubric for that learning goal:
http://www.mtu.edu/assessment/program/university-learninggoals/Goal%204_Critical_CreativeThinking.pdf
2
Course Resources
Course Website

Canvas<http://www.courses.mtu.edu>
Required Course Texts




Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (50th Anniversary Edition).
University of Chicago Press (ISBN 0-226-45812-1)
Bruno Latour, Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers Through
Society. Harvard University Press (ISBN 0-674-79291-2)
Richard Lewontin, Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA. Harper Perennial
(reprint edition, 1991) (ISBN 0060975199)
Other material will be posted in the weekly modules on the Canvas page for the
course.
Grading Scheme
Grading System
Letter
Grade
A
AB
B
BC
C
CD
D
F
I
X
Grade
Percentage
points/credit Rating
93% & above
4.00
Excellent
87% – 92%
3.50
Very good
82% – 86%
3.00
Good
76% – 81%
2.50
Above average
70% – 75%
2.00
Average
65% – 69%
1.50
Below average
60% - 64%
1.00
Inferior
59% and below 0.00
Failure
Incomplete; given only when a student is unable to complete a
segment of the course because of circumstances beyond the
student’s control.
Conditional, with no grade points per credit; given only when
the student is at fault in failing to complete a minor segment of
a course, but in the judgment of the instructor does not need to
repeat the course. It must be made up by the close of the next
semester or the grade becomes a failure (F). A (X) grade is
computed into the grade point average as a (F) grade.
3
Grading Policy
Grades will be based on the following:
2 short papers (on assigned questions)
8 (out of 10) online (surprise!) quizzes
Class participation/online tutorial
discussion
Midterm exam
Final exam
Total
20%
20%
10%
20%
30%
100
Late Assignments
Unless otherwise specified on the assignment, all papers and assignments must be
submitted via Canvas (as Word or PDF documents) by 9 am on the day that they are
due. Late papers will be subject to a 10% reduction in grade for each week, or part thereof,
of lateness, up to 30%.
Course Policies
Academic integrity is essential to a student’s education. Plagiarism, Cheating, Fabrication
and Facilitating Academic Dishonesty are offences that will not be tolerated. Plagiarism—
loosely defined as the presentation of the work of another author as if it were your own—
will not be tolerated. If you are unclear about how to cite your sources properly, you are
urged to discuss the matter with the instructor before submitting an assignment. Academic
regulations and procedures are governed by University policy. Academic dishonesty cases
will be handled in accordance with the University policy. SEE
http://www.mtu.edu/dean/conduct/policy/academic-integrity/. If you have questions
about plagiarism that are not resolved after reading the policy, ask me for help.
Class Attendance is very important. Three excused or unexcused absences are permitted;
it is your responsibility to notify the instructor if you cannot be in class. More than three
unexcused absences can result in a lowering of the final course grade, and additional
unexcused absences may result in a grade of F being recorded for the entire course. See
http://www.mtu.edu/dean/conduct/policy/attendance/ for more information.
Communication: Please direct all electronic communication (other than paper
submissions) to me via email (smarratt@mtu.edu) rather than through Canvas. Please
indicate the course number (HU 3702) in the subject line for all emails.
Cell Phones, Laptops and other electronic devices: Cell phones, Blackberries, iPods,
4
PDAs, or any other electronic devices are not to be used in the classroom. Such devices
must be turned off and stowed away during class. In general, laptops are also not permitted
except by prior arrangement with me.
University Policies
Student work products (exams, essays, projects, etc.) may be used for purposes of
university, program, or course assessment. All work used for assessment purposes will not
include any individual student identification.
Michigan Tech has standard policies on academic misconduct and complies
with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding discrimination, including the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. For more information about reasonable
accommodation for or equal access to education or services at Michigan Tech, please call
the Dean of Students Office, at (906) 487- 2212 or go to
http://www.mtu.edu/provost/faculty-resources/syllabus-policies/
Course Schedule
Week 1
Tuesday (Sept. 1): Introduction
Thursday (Sept. 3): Hume: The problem of induction (Canvas: “Hume”)
Week 2
Tuesday (Sept. 8): Positivism (Canvas: “Suppe”)
Thursday (Sept. 10): Positivism, cont’d (Canvas: “Ayer”)
Week 3
Tuesday (Sept. 15): The problem of induction (Canvas: “Popper 1”)
Thursday (Sept. 17): Demarcation: Science vs pseudo-science (Canvas: “Popper 2”)
Week 4
Tuesday (Sept. 22): Kuhn on “normal science” (Structure, pp. vii-42) [first text analysis
assigned]
Thursday (Sept. 24): Kuhn on the function of “paradigms” (Structure, pp. 43-91)
5
Week 5
Tuesday (Sept. 30): Kuhn, cont’d
Thursday (Oct. 1): Online Discussion
Week 6
Tuesday (Oct. 6): Kuhn on “revolutions” (Structure, pp. 92-173) [first text analysis due]
Thursday (Oct. 8): Kuhn, cont’d.
Week 7
Tuesday (Oct. 13): [Mid-term quiz]
Thursday (Oct. 15): Imre Lakatos (Canvas: “Lakatos”)
Week 8
Tuesday (Oct. 20): Latour and the “construction” of scientific facts (Canvas: “Latour”)
Thursday (Oct. 22): Latour (Science in Action, Introduction)
Week 9
Tuesday (Oct. 27): Latour (Science in Action, Part 1—pp. 21-102)
Thursday (Oct. 29): [second text analysis assigned]
Week 10
Tuesday (Nov. 3): Latour (Science in Action, Part 2—pp. 103-143)
Thursday (Nov. 5):
Week 11
6
Tuesday (Nov. 10): Latour (Science in Action, Part 2, Chapter 4—pp. 144-176)
Thursday (Nov. 12): Latour (Science in Action. Part 3, Chapter 5, pp. 179-214) [second text
analysis due]
Week 12
Tuesday (Nov. 17): Latour (Science in Action. Part 3, Chapter 5, pp. 179-214)--cont'd.
Thursday (Nov. 19): Rose & Rose (Genes, Cells and Brains [Canvas: “Rose and
Rose”])
THANKSGIVING
Week 13
Tuesday (Dec. 1): Latour (Science in Action, Part 3, Chapter 6, pp. 215-257)
Thursday (Dec. 3): Lewontin (Biology as Ideology, parts 1 and 2)
Week 14
Tuesday (Dec 8): Lewontin (Biology as Ideology, parts 3 and 4)
Thursday (Dec 10): Lewontin (Biology as Ideology, part 5)
Final Exam During Exam Period
Note: Schedule may be revised from time to time to suit the needs of the class and the
instructor
7