PH400
Philosophy of Science
This information is for the 2015/16 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Roman Frigg
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Economics and Philosophy, MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy, MSc in Philosophy of Science, MSc in Philosophy of the Social Sciences and MSc in Social Research Methods. This course is not available as an outside option.
Pre-requisites
No pre-requisites.
Course content
Science is chock full of miraculous predictions, shocking revolutions, and unexpected results that few science fiction writers could have ever dreamed of. What makes science so special? This course is a tour of the philosophical underpinnings of modern science. No background in any science is needed for this course; everything you need to know will be covered.
The issues we will tackle are the following. Theory and Observation: Hume’s problem of induction and Goodman’s new riddle of induction, Popper’s falsificationism, underdetermination of theory by evidence, the positive instance account, Bayesianism. Theories and laws: the received view of theories, the semantic view of theories, the regularity view of laws, law idealism, laws as universals, the best systems account, instrumentalism. Explanation: the DN model of explanation, statistical explanation, causal explanation, unification. Intertheory relations: reductionism and pluralism. Realism versus Antirealism: Scientific realism and the no miracles argument, inference to the best explanation, antirealism and the pessimistic meta-induction, reductive empiricism, constructive empiricism, the natural ontological attitude, entity realism, structural realism, Kuhn and scientific revolutions. Sociological approaches to science: Social constructivism, feminism. Causation: Hume’s, Mill’s, Mackie’s accounts of causation, counterfactual theories, probabilistic causality and manipulability accounts, transference accounts. Philosophy of a special science: Space and Time in Newton’s physics.
Teaching
10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the MT. 10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the LT.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to write two essays (two in MT and two in LT), submit a few short answers before each seminar, and participate in discussion in seminars.
Indicative reading
T S Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions; K R Popper, Conjectures and Refutations; B van Fraassen, The Scientific Image; N Cartwright, How the Laws of Physics Lie.
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 3 hours) in the main exam period.
Student performance results
(2011/12 - 2013/14 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| Distinction | 29.8 |
| Merit | 46.8 |
| Pass | 21.3 |
| Fail | 2.1 |
Key facts
Department: Philosophy
Total students 2014/15: 16
Average class size 2014/15: 7
Controlled access 2014/15: No
Value: One Unit
