Philosophy of Science
Philosophy 330 with Prof. Gregory Owcarz
in JR 130 on MWF at 11-11:50 am
What we need is not the will to believe, but the will to find out. Bertrand Russell
The first man who noticed the analogy between a group of seven fishes and a group of seven days
made a notable advance in the history of thought. Alfred North Whitehead
The truth is not only stranger than you imagine, it is stranger than you can imagine. J.B.S. Haldane
Required Readings Supplemental
Readings
Introduction
to the Philosophy of Science
What is This Thing Called Science?
A.F. Chalmers
Arthur Zucker The
Logic of Scientific Discovery Karl Popper
Mind: A Brief
Introduction The
Structure of Scientific Revolutions Thomas
Kuhn
John Searle Against Method Paul Feyerabend
How to Think About Weird Things T. Schick
Additional Assistance
Office Hours: MWF
Office
Contact: Tel. 818-677-4847, Email GregoryO@csun.edu, Office in ST 514
Course Description
Scientists these days - more than the
poets, preachers or politicians - are generally recognized as really knowing
what they are talking about. The philosophy of science asks what science is and
is not, examines its history and methods, compares it to other ways of knowing
and believing, and wonders if and how and when science actually makes progress.
No scientific know-how is presupposed, but our philosophical treatment calls
for considering a wide range of scientific endeavors, including physics, evolution, medicine, psychoanalysis,
parapsychology and cognitive science.
This course satisfies the Philosophy and Religion
Section (C3) of the General Education Program. All courses in this section
promote critical reflection on questions concerning the nature, meaning and
value of human existence, the world in which we live, and our relations with
one another. Students should understand the sources and limits of knowledge,
and they should appreciate and be able to assess different world views and
moral teachings that have played central roles in human culture.
Requirements and Policies
Class Format Philosophy is
more a thing that one does than a set of facts that one learns.
Accordingly,
some lectures will be given where necessary to introduce new material or to
explain difficult concepts, but written practice and class discussion are fundamental
to doing philosophy, and grading will reflect the integral role of that
participation.
Homework Assignments Written work
constitutes 30% of the final course grade. Two brief response papers will be
assigned for which distribution and presentation are required. Unannounced
quizzes will also be given on occasion to measure reading comprehension. These
endeavors facilitate class discussion and ensure that a steady course of study
is maintained. Late work will not be accepted.
Two In-Class Exams Each exam
constitutes 35% of the final course grade, with the final exam presupposing
familiarity with material from the midterm. Make-up exams will not be offered.
Deadlines The
deadline this semester to add or drop a class with only written permission from
the class instructor is
Tentative Schedule of Topics
Part One:
What is this thing called science?
-Week One:
Philosophy and/of Science
Definition Handout
-Week Two:
Science and Pseudo-Science
Weird Things
Handout
-Week
Three: Science and Pseudo-Science Paper
One Draft Due
-Week Four:
All Scientific Things, Great and Small Paper
One Final Due
Universe Handout;
Evolution Handout
-Week Five:
Scientific Explanation
-Week Six:
Scientific Explanation
- Week
Seven: Confirmation
- Week Eight:
Confirmation
Midterm Exam
Part Two: What does one do with science?
-Week Nine:
Science and Medicine
- Week Ten:
Science and Medicine
-Week
Eleven: Science and Psychoanalysis Paper
Two Draft Due
-Week
Twelve: Science and Psychoanalysis Paper
Two Final Due
-Week
Thirteen: Cognitive Science
-Week
Fourteen: Cognitive Science
-Week
Fifteen: Consciousness