PHL 480 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
FALL 1997
JOSEPH HANNA
OFFICE HOURS: 9:00-10:00 MWF
OFFICE: 508 South Kedzie (353-9372)
E-MAIL: Hanna@PILOT.MSU.EDU
COURSE SYLLABUS
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Brody, B. and Grandy, R., Readings in the Philosophy of Science, 2nd edition, 1989. (RPS)
Salmon, The Foundations of Scientific Inference (FSI)
Library Assigned Readings (LAR), available in the Assigned Reading Room of the Main Library
DESCRIPTION: This course will involve a philosophical examination of the nature of science, including discussion of the structure
of scientific theories, scientific progress, the realism-antirealism debate, scientific explanation, inductivism and
falsificationism, and Bayesian theories of scientific inference. An attempt will be made to view recent developments
in philosophy of science from the perspective of the main themes of 20th-century philosophy, including formal
language, ordinary language, and phenomenological methods of inquiry.
GRADING AND ASSIGNMENTS: Two short (4-6 page) papers on assigned topics, a final examination and a medium length (1012 page) term paper on an approved topic. Each of the short papers will count 20 percent of the course grade and
the term paper and final examination will each count 30 percent of the course grade. An attendance form will be
circulated each class period (begining Aug. 27) and .006 will be added to the final grade for each recorded
attendance.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Date
Assignment
Aug. 27
Readings in the Philosophy of Science (RPS, xi-5)
Aug. 29
Carnap, "Theories as Partially Interpreted Formal Systems" (RPS, 1-12)
Sept. 3
Hempel, "A Logical Appraisal of Operationism" (RPS, 12-21)
Sept. 5
Maxwell, "The Ontological Status of Theoretical Entities" (RPS, 21-29)
Sept. 11
Hacking, "Do We See Through a Microscope?" (RPS, 29-44)
Sept. 15
Spector, "Models and Theories", (RPS, 44-58)
Sept. 18
van Fraassen, "To Save the Phenomena" (RPS, 58-64)
Sept. 22
Cartwright, "The Reality of Causes in a World of Instrumental Laws" (RPS, 64-72)
Sept. 24
Churchland, "The Anti-Realist Epistemology of van Fraassen's The Scientific Image" (RPS, 72-80)
Sept. 26
Putnam, "Explanation and Reference" (RPS, 80-93)
Sept. 29
Fine, "And Not Anti-Realism Either" (RPS, 93-104)
Oct. 2
Feuerabend, "How to Be a Good Empiricist--A Plea for Tolerance in Matters Epistemological"(RPS, 104-
123)
Date
Dec. 8
Oct. 6
Oct. 8
Oct. 9
Oct. 10
Oct. 13
Oct. 15
Oct. 16
Oct. 17
Oct. 20
Oct. 22
Oct. 23
Oct. 27
Oct. 29
Nov. 3
Nov. 6
Nov. 7
Nov. 10
Nov. 12
Nov. 13
Nov. 17
Nov. 17
Nov. 19
Nov. 20
Nov. 21
Nov. 24
Nov. 26
Dec. 1
Dec. 3
Dec. 5
(RPS, 227-235)
Assignment
Shapere,
"Reason,
Reference, and
the Quest for
Meaning" (RPS,
123-140)
Mackie, "Causes and Conditions" (RPS, 235-248)
Reichenbach, "The Laws of Nature" (RPS, 248-252)
Laudan, "Two
Dogmas of
Methodology"
(RPS, 140-148)
Hempel, "Studies in the Logic of Confirmation" (RPS, 258-279)
Salmon, FSI: 56-79
Hempel &
Oppenheim,
"Studies in the
Logic of
Explanation"
(RPS, 148-167)
First Paper
Assignment Due
Salmon, FSI: 1-56
Popper, "Science: Conjecture and Refutations, in Conjectures and Refutations, pp. 33-59 (LAR)
Carnap, "Statistical and Inductive Probability" (RPS, 279-288)
Carnap, "On Inductive Logic" (RPS, 288-309)
Goodman, "The New Riddle of Induction" (RPS, 309-313)
Salmon, FSI: 83-131
Second Paper Assignment Due
Savage, "Implications of Personal Probability for Induction" (RPS, 313-323)
Harman, "The Inference to the Best Explanation" (RPS, 323-328)
Glymour, "Relevant Evidence" (RPS, 328-344)
Salmon,
"Statistical
Explanation and
Its Models"
(RPS, 167-184)
Cartwright, "The
Truth Doesn't
Explain Much"
(RPS, 184-190)
Popper, "Truth, Rationality, and the Growth of Knowledge", in Conjectures & Refutations, pp. 215-248
(LAR)
Lakatos, "The Role of Crucial Experiments in Science" (RPS, 344-356)
Kuhn, "Objectivity, Value Judgment, and Theory Choice" (RPS, 356-368)
Laudan, "From Theories to Research Traditions" (RPS, 368-379)
Giere, "Philosophy of Science Natrualized" (RPS, 379-398)
Brody, "Towards
an Aristotelian
Theory of
Scientific
Explanation"
(RPS, 190-200)
Achinstein, "Can
There Be a
Model of
Explanation?"
(RPS, 200-217)
van Fraassen,
"The Pragmatics
of Explanation"
(RPS, 217-227)
Scriven,
"Causation or
Explanation"
Final Examination ( 12:45-2:45 p.m.)