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Wk Date Topic Reading Due Coursework Due Presenter
1.1 Jan 15 Introduction: Philosophy of science Hitchcock, Introduction (Hitchcock §0) - -
1.2 Jan 17 Introduction: Philosophy and science Norton, Philosophy in Einstein's Science (Norton) See these sample notes that you might use if you were presenting this article. - -
2.1 Jan 22 Thought experiments 1 Brown, Why thought experiments transcend empiricism (Hitchcock §1) Optional further reading: Brown's SEP Article or book on thought experiments (available in the library), and Gendler on Galileo's thought experiments. - Nick
2.2 Jan 24 Thought experiments 2 Norton, Why thought experiments do not transcend empiricism (Hitchcock § 2) - -
3.1 Jan 29 Scientific Realism: The general debate 1 Leplin, A Theory’s Predictive Success can Warrant Belief in the Unobservable Entities it Postulates (Hitchcock §5) - Ben
3.2 Jan 31 Scientific Realism: The general debate 2 Kukla and Walmsley, A Theory’s Predictive Success does not Warrant Belief in the Unobservable Entities it Postulates (Hitchcock §6) - Roland
4.1 Feb 5 Scientific Realism: A case study on caloric 1 Psillos, Caloric and Resisting the Pessimistic Meta-Induction (Psillos 1999 pg.101-129) - Kevin
4.2 Feb 7 Scientific Realism: A case study on caloric 2 Chang, Preservative realism and its discontents: Revisiting Caloric (Chang 2003) - Roland
5.1 Feb 12 Laws of nature 1 Roberts, There are no Laws of the Social Sciences (Hitchcock §7) - Vanessa
5.2 Feb 14 - Class Cancelled - -
6.1 Feb 19 Laws of Nature 2 Kincaid, There are Laws in the Social Sciences (Hitchcock §8) - -
6.2 Feb 21 Causation Norton, Causation as Folk Science (Norton 2003) and Dowe, Causes are Physically Connected to their Effects: Why Preventers and Omissions are not Causes (Hitchcock §9) - Vanessa (Dowe)
7.1 Feb 26 Scientific explanation 1, Midterm Review (See the Study Guide) Lipton, What is a good explanation? (Hon & Rakover pp.43-60) - Ben
7.2 Feb 28 - No Reading - Midterm Study Guide Midterm Exam -
8.1 Mar 5 Reduction of one scientific theory to another 1 Keller, It Is Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics (Ayala & Arp §1) - Theo
8.2 Mar 7 Reduction of one scientific theory to another 2 Dupré, It Is Not Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics (Ayala & Apr §2) - Hannah
9.1 Mar 12 Philosophy of biology: Genes and Traits 1 Sarkar, Genes Encode Information for Phenotypic Traits (Hitchcock §13) - Alex G.
9.2 Mar 14 Philosophy of biology: Genes and Traits 2 Godfrey-Smith, Genes do not Encode Information for Phenotypic Traits (Hitchcock §14) - Alex G.
10.1 Mar 19 Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break -
10.2 Mar 21 Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break -
11.1 Mar 26 Philosophy of psychology: The mind 1 Carruthers, The Mind is a System of Modules Shaped by Natural Selection (Hitchcock §15) - Klaudija
11.2 Mar 28 Class Cancelled Class Cancelled - -
12.1 Apr 2 Philosophy of psychology: The mind 2 Woodward and Cowie, The Mind is not (just) a System of Modules Shaped (just) by Natural Selection (Hitchcock §16) - Klaudija
12.2 Apr 4 Philosophy of physics: The Arrow of time 1 Price, On the Origins of the Arrow of Time: Why there is Still a Puzzle about the Low-Entropy Past (Hitchcock §11) - Hannah
13.1 Apr 9 Philosophy of physics: The Arrow of time 2 Callender, There is no Puzzle about the Low-Entropy Past (Hitchcock §12) - Mychael
13.2 Apr 11 Determinism 1 Norton, The Dome: An Unexpectedly Simple Failure of Determinism (Start with Norton's notes and then read Norton 2008) Term Paper Outline Due -.
14.1 Apr 16 Class Cancelled Class Cancelled - -
14.2 Apr 18 Scientific Confirmation The HD Method and its problems (Guest lecturer: TBD) - Theo
15.1 Apr 23 Duhem-Quine Thesis 1 Duhem, Physical Theory and Experiment (Curd, Cover & Pincock) - Kevin
15.2 Apr 25 Duhem-Quine Thesis 2 Laudan, Demystifying Underdetermination - Mychael
16.1 Apr 30 Exam Review None Term paper due -
16.2 May 2 Final Exam Final Exam Final Exam -