Syllabus - tommaso piazza
Transcript
Syllabus - tommaso piazza
Philosophy of Science II University of Oporto, Department of Philosophy Tommaso Piazza This 60–hour course on the Philosophy of Science has been taught by me, with slight modifications, two times, in the second semester of the academic years 2010/11, and 2011/12. The course consists of thirty 2-hours sessions (28 lectures, and 2 sessions in which students presents their assignments). It is a mandatory course for second-year undergraduate students of Philosophy (‘Licenciatura em Filosofia’ in the Portuguese system). Course Description The course addresses the question of how science should be interpreted. At the very beginning, I explain the classical (empiricist) distinction between primary and secondary qualities. Then, by resting on the first distinction, I introduce the second key distinction between observables (entities or properties) and unobservable (entities of properties). Then I start to chart the geography. I begin by presenting Scientific Realism, and factor this position into three distinct components. At the semantic level, Scientific Realism portrays scientific activity as an attempt to describe (observable and unobservable) reality, so it portrays scientific claims (about observables and unobservable) as truth-evaluable assertions. At the metaphysical level, Scientific Realism is the claim that the (observable and unobservable) entities that science aims to describe exist independently of the mind. Finally, at the epistemological level, Scientific Realism is the (optimistic and anti-sceptical) claim that truth about (observable and unobservable) reality is not beyond our epistemic reach. In opposition to Scientific Realism, various forms of antirealism are then introduced and discussed: Empiricism and Instrumentalism, which reject the semantic component of Scientific Realism; scientific constructivism, which rejects the metaphysical component of Scientific Realism; and constructive empiricism, which rejects the epistemological component of Scientific Realism. I then expound and critically discuss the major argument for Scientific realism, namely Putnam’s No Miracle Argument; and the major argument in favour of Scientific anti-realism, namely the socalled Pessimistic meta-induction. The latter argument is critically discussed in the light of the notion of novel prediction, and of by paying attention to history of science. Finally it is introduce, and critically discussed, the Underdetermination argument for scientific anti-realism. Lectures’ Overview This course consists of two 2-hour sessions per week for one semester. Lecture 1 Technology, and science as a guide to the inner functioning of nature My power-point slides Lecture 2 The empiricist view: primary vs. secondary qualities Selected readings from J. Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 5 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza) Lecture 3 Observable and unobservable entities or properties Required reading: S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede); selected readings from J. Ladyman, Understanding Philosphy of Science (Italian Translation: Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza) Lecture 4 Interpreting Science: a map of the available positions Required reading: S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede) Lecture 5 Scientific Realism: the semantic component Selected readings from J. Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 5 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza); S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede). Lecture 6 Scientific realism: the metaphysical component Selected readings from J. Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 5 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza); S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede). Lecture 7 Scientific realism: the epistemological component Selected readings from J. Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 5 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza); S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede). Lecture 8 Varieties of Anti-realisms. Rejecting the semantic component: Empiricism (Carnap), and Instrumentalism (Mach, Craig’s theorem) S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede); S. Psillos, Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge, 1999) Ch. 1, 2. Lecture 9 Varieties of Anti-realisms. Rejecting the metaphysical component: scientific constructivism S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede); selected readings from A. Kukla, Social Constructivism and the Philosophy of Science (Routledge, 2000) (My Portuguese Translation) Lecture 10 The Varieties of Anti-realisms. Rejecting the epistemological component: b. van Fraassen’s Constructive Empiricism S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede); selected readings from P. Dicken, Constructive Empiricism: Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (Palgrave McMillan, 2010) (Portuguese Translation, Argumentos acerca do empirismo construtivo, Criticanarede); J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 6 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza). Lecture 11 van Fraassen’s selective sceptcism S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science: a Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2002) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Realismo e Antirealismo, Criticanarede); selected readings from P. Dicken, Constructive Empiricism: Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (Palgrave McMillan, 2010) (Portuguese Translation, Argumentos acerca do empirismo construtivo, Criticanarede); J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 6 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza). Lecture 12 The immediacy of the senses vs the mediate nature of scientific observation Selected reading from A. Chalmers, What is This Thing Called Science? (University of Queensland Press, 1999) (Portuguese Translation, A ciência como conhecimento derivado dos factos de experiencia, Criticanarede) Lecture 13 The explicationist defense of Scientific Realism: Smart’s and Grover’s anticipation. My slides; S. Psillos, Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge, 1999) Ch. 4 (Portuguese Translation, Em defesa do realismo científico) Lecture 14 The explicationist defense of Scientific Realism: the No Miracles argument for scientific realism: S. Psillos, Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge, 1999) Ch. 4. (Portuguese Translation, Em defesa do realismo científico, Criticanarede) Lecture 15 Problems with the explicationist defense of Scientific Realism: the rational status of the inference to the best explanation. S. Psillos, Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge, 1999) Ch. 4. (Portuguese Translation, Em defesa do realismo científico, Criticanarede) Lecture 16 Problems with the explicationist defense of Scientific Realism: truth is not the best explanation of predictive success. J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 5 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza); S. Psillos, Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge, 1999) Ch. 4. (Portuguese Translation, Em defesa do realismo científico, Criticanarede) Lecture 17 The pessimistic Meta-Induction. The case of the caloric theory of heat, and ether. J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 5 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza); S. Psillos, Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge, 1999) Ch. 4. (Portuguese Translation, Em defesa do realismo científico, Criticanarede) Lecture 18 Realist responses to the pessimistic Meta-Induction: restrain predictive success to novel and risky predictions. What it means that a prediction is novel? J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 5 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza); S. Psillos, Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge, 1999) Ch. 4. (Portuguese Translation, Em defesa do realismo científico, Criticanarede) Lecture 19 Realist responses to the pessimistic Meta-Induction: (progressively more) approximate truth J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 5 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza); S. Psillos, Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge, 1999) Ch. 4. (Portuguese Translation, Em defesa do realismo científico, Criticanarede) Lecture 20 Realist responses to the pessimistic Meta-Induction: science isn’t full of false and predictively successful theories Selected readings from L. Fahrbach, Pessimistic Meta-Induction and the Exponential Growth of Knowledge. Lecture 21 Empirical Confirmation: Hipothetico-Deductivism My slides Lecture 22 Strong and weak empirical equivalence J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 6 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza) Lecture 23 From weak and strong empirical equivalence to Underdetermination J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 6 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza) Lecture 24 Realist responses to the underdetermination argument. Genuine theories are not empirically equivalent J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 6 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza) Lecture 25 Realist responses to the underdetermination argument. Underdetermination does not entail scepticism: the role of non-empirical virtues J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 6 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza) Lecture 26 Realist responses to the underdetermination argument. Empirical equivalence does not entail Underdetermination: indirect confirmation Selected readings from Laudan & Leplin, Empirical Equivalence and Underdetermination; J. Ladyman, Understading Philsophy of Science (Routledge, 2002) Ch. 6 (Italian Translation, Introduzione alla filosofia della scienza) Lecture 27 Which model of indirect confirmation? Selected readings from Laudan & Leplin, Empirical Equivalence and Underdetermination. Lecture 28 Contemporary Science and Philosophy Selected readings from L. Sklar, Philosophy of Physics (OUP, 1992) (Portuguese translation, Física moderna e filosofia, Criticanarede). Session 29 Papers’ presentations by students Session 30 Papers’ presentations by students Goals of the Course At the end of this course, 1. Students will have acquired a basic understanding of the Scientific realism/anti-realism controversy. 2. They will be aware of the standard defense of Scientific Realism as well as of the most promising attempt to undermine it. Moreover, they will be aware of the most successful defense of antirealism, and of the realist attempts to undermine it. 3. Students will be able to master the most important notions in philosophy of science, like primary/secondary qualities, appearance and reality, hipotetico-deductive confirmation, empirical equivalence, underdetermination. They will be able to apply such concepts to new examples taken from scientific practice. 4. Students will have become familiar with major authors in philosophy, like Carnap, Mach, Craig, van Fraassen, Putnam, Smart, Maxwell, Laudan & Leplin. 5. The students will be able to think critically about various topics in the philosophy of science. The students will be required to write a short paper on a topic of their choice related to the course’s syllabus, and to present it to the rest of the students in two special sessions at the end of the course. Evaluation 25% of total score: paper evaluation (maximum grade: 20 points). 75% of total score: students will sit a written exam. Students will receive six question; they will have to select four, and answer them. Each answer will receive a maximum grade of 5 points, so that the maximum grade of the written exam is 20 points.