Dr. Leemon McHenry
Fall 2008
Office Hours: TTh 11:00-12:00 Phone: 818-677-4710
and by appointment Seirra Tower 516
Email: Leemon.mchenry@csun.edu
Website: www.csun.edu/~lmchenry
I. Required Texts:
Readings in the Philosophy of Science, edited by Theodore Schick (Mayfield, 1999)
Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, by Robert Klee (Oxford University Press, 1997)
II. Course Description:
se satisfies the “Philosophy and Religion” (C-3) section of the General Education Program. All courses in this section are designed to promote systematic reflection on questions concerning the structure and meaning of existence and knowledge. Achieving this goal involves developing an appreciation for and assessments of alternative world views and rival conceptual systems that have played central roles in human culture—influencing art, science, government, literature, and other important aspects of civilization.
Philosophy of Science is the discipline that aims to understand the goals, methodology and structure of scientific knowledge. In the course of the semester we will explore questions regarding the unification of scientific knowledge, the problem of the boundary between science and pseudo-science, scientific methodology, scientific progress, the relation between theory and observation, the problem of relativism and questions pertaining to science and religion such as creationism or intelligent design vs. evolution.
III. Course Requirements:
1. Term Paper @ 20% tentatively due date – Nov 11.
2. Two Exams @ 50%. Exam I -- tentative date -- Oct 23; Exam II -- tentative date -- Dec 9. Exams include multiple choice questions, short answers and essays. They will cover material from readings, class lectures and discussion. Study questions will be given to students in advance of the two exams.
3. Class participation @ 10%. Students are required to participate in class discussions and evaluate critically the material presented. Since the success of the class depends in part on the willingness of students to become actively involved in the subject, a significant portion of the final grade is determined by participation. Students who raise questions during lectures and participate in class discussions and group dynamics will be rewarded with a participation grade proportional to their contribution to the class.
4. Weekly quizzes @ 20%. Quizzes cover readings and lectures. Students are allowed the drop one quiz.
Grade scale: A – 90%-100%; B—80%-89%; C—70%-79%; D—60%-69%; F—0%-59%. Plus/Minus grading will be used.
IV. Class Policies and Etiquette:
There are no shortcuts to learning philosophy. The subject demands that students learn in the old-fashioned manner of time-consuming and disciplined study. This means you must spend time reading the classic texts of philosophy (and secondary sources), devote your attention to lectures and involve yourself in critical discussion of the material covered.
1. Attendance is necessary to do well in the course. If you must miss class for any reason, you are responsible for making up any work missed. Find out before coming to class what you missed and make sure you are prepared for the session. Excessive absence will significantly lower your grade and normally results in failure.
2. Attendance alone is not sufficient for passing the class. Prepare for each class carefully and take an active role in discussions. As a general rule, you should spend two hours preparing for each hour spent in class.
3. The Five Minute Rule. Punctuality is a requirement, not an option. Class begins on time. After the first five minutes, no arrivals to class will be permitted. This does not mean that class begins at the five minute mark. This rule applies to the instructor as well as the students.
4. Leaving class without prior permission from the instructor will not be permitted, especially after quizzes given at the beginning of the class period. Walking in and out of class on your own schedule is a disturbance to others.
5. You are required to sit the exams during the scheduled times. Do not schedule anything that conflicts with the exams. Do not assume that a make-up exam or quiz will be given if you miss class. There are no make-up quizzes or exams for unexcused absences. If an absence is excused, prior notification is required. Make-ups are rare and given only under extreme circumstances. Documentation such as a doctor’s note or police report will be required for an excused absence.
6. Eating in class is not permitted. This is the time for discussion and concentration on the subject.
7. Cell phones, pagers and any other electronic devices should be turned off prior to class sessions. Laptop computers are permitted as long as they are used for taking notes.
8. There are no extra credit assignments in lieu of failing exams or quizzes. Occasionally there will be extra credit questions offered on exams. These allow extra points beyond 100%.
9. The instructor will provide students with a detailed description of the term paper after the mid-term exam. A proposal and outline for the paper will be due two weeks before submission of the paper. This will allow students to gain crucial feedback on the paper’s topic and thesis. Late papers will be penalized 10 points for each class session they are not turned it.
10. The last day to withdraw from the course is Friday, September 12. After that date, withdrawals are not permitted. See page 13 of the Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes.
11. The instructor is committed to upholding the university’s policy regarding academic dishonesty. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. This includes buying papers off the internet from such websites as www.cheaters.com, www.cheathouse.com, and paying professional term paper writers to do your work. See the university catalogue, Appendix C, Academic Dishonesty
V. Tentative Schedule of Topics
1. Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
Reading:
Theodore Schick, “General Introduction,” pp. 1-2
Robert Klee, Chapter 1
2. Science and Non-Science: Defining the Boundary
Science and Pseudo-science
Standard Empiricism
Aim-Oriented Empiricism
Scientific Progress
Readings:
A. J. Ayer, “The Elimination of Metaphysics”
Karl R. Popper, “Science: Conjectures and Refutations”
Thomas S. Kuhn, “Logic of Discovery or Psychology of Research”
Imre Lakatos, “Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programs”
Nicholas Maxwell, “Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos and Aim-Oriented Empiricism,”
http:philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00000251/
Nicholas Maxwell, “Can Humanity Learn to become Civilized? The Crisis of Science
without Civilization,” http:philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00001709
Larry Laudan, “Science at the Bar—Causes for Concern”
Micheal Ruse, “Pro Judice”
Robert Klee, Chapters 2 and 3.
3. Induction and Confirmation: The Nature of Scientific Inference
Causation, Inductive Knowledge and Confirmation
Readings:
David Hume, “The Problem of Induction”
Carl Hempel, “The Role of Induction in Scientific Inquiry”
Karl Popper, “The Problem of Induction”
Pierre Duhem, “Physical Theory and Experiment”
Peter Lipton, “Contrastive Inference”
Robert Klee, Chapter 4.
4. The Unity of Science: Are All Sciences Reducible to Physics?
Metaphysics and Ontology
Grand Unification Theories and the Theory of Everything
The Problem of Reductionism
Readings:
Paul Oppenheim and Hilary Putnam, “Unity of Science as a Working Hypothesis”
Jerry Fodor, “Special Sciences”
John Dupré, “The Disunity of Science”
Robert Klee, Chapter 5
5. Theory and Observation: Is Seeing Believing?
Readings:
Rudolf Carnap, “The Methodological Character of Theoretical Concepts”
Mary Hesse, “Is There an Independent Observation Language?”
N. R. Hanson, “Observation”
Thomas Kuhn, “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”
Larry Laudan, “A Problem-Solving Approach to Scientific Progress,”
Robert H. Thouless, “Parapsychology during the Last Quarter of a Century”
Daisie Radner and Michael Radner, “Parapsychology: Pre-Paradigm Science”
Robert Klee, Chapter 7
6. Science and Objectivity: The Science Wars
Rationality and Objectivity
Readings:
Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar, “The Social Construction of Scientific Facts”
Stephen Cole, “Voodoo Sociology: Recent Developments in the Sociology of Science”
Robert Klee, Chapters 8 and 9
7. Realism and Antirealism: Does Science Reveal Reality?
Grover Maxwell, “The Ontological Status of Theoretical Entities”
Bas C. van Fraassen, “Constructive Empiricism”
Paul M. Churchland, “The Anti-Realist Epistemology of van Fraassen’s The Scientific
Image”
Ian Hacking, “Experimentation and Scientific Realism”
Arthur Fine, “Natural Ontological Attitude”
James Robert Brown, “Explaining the Success of Science”
Robert Klee, Chapter 10
8. Science and Religion: Reason versus Faith
Readings:
Paul Feyerabend, “Science and Myth”
Richard Dawkins, “Is Science a Religion?”
Alvin Plantinga, “When Faith and Reason Clash: Evolution and the Bible”
Ernan McMullan, “Evolution and Special Creation”
Peter Atkins, “Purposeless People”
Martin Gardner, “Science and the Unknowable”
9. Corruption of Science: Government, Business and Marketing
Readings:
David Healy and Michael Thase, “Is Academic Psychiatry for Sale?”
Richard Horton, “The Dawn of McScience”
Leemon McHenry, “On the Origin of Great Ideas: Science in the Age of Big Pharma”
Jeffrey Lacasse and Jonathan Leo “Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the
Advertisements and the Scientific Literature”
Leemon McHenry, “Ethical Issues in Psychopharmacology”
Leemon McHenry, “Biomedical Research and Corporate Interests: A Question of
Academic Freedom”
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right the change the schedule and order of topics.
VI. Recommended Reading
Alioto, Anthony M., A History of Western Science (Prentice Hall, 1987)
Bird, Alexander, Philosophy of Science (McGill-Queen’s, 1998)
_____________,“Thomas S. Kuhn (1922-1996),” American Philosophers, 1950-2000, Volume 279 in Dictionary of Literary Biography, edited by Philip Dematteis and Leemon McHenry (Gale, 2003)
Corvi, Roberta, An Introduction to the Thought of Karl Popper (Routledge, 1993)
Dawkins, Richard, The Blind Watchmaker (W. W. Norton, 1986)
______________, The God Delusion (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
Greene, Brain, The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory (Norton, 1999)
Giere, Ronald N., Understanding Scientific Reasoning (Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1984)
Hawking, Stephen W., A Brief History of Time: From The Big Bang to Black Holes (Bantham, 1988)
Healy, David, “The Structure of Psychopharmacological Revolutions,” Psychiatric Developments 4, 1987.
Hempel, Carl, Philosophy of Natural Science (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1966)
Klee, Robert, Scientific Inquiry (Oxford University Press, 1999)
Kuhn, Thomas S., The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought (Harvard University Press, 1957)
______________, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (University of Chicago Press, 1970)
Maxwell, Nicholas, Is Science Neurotic? (Imperial College Press, 2004)
_______________, “Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos and Aim-Oriented Empiricism,”Philosophia, 32, 2005.
_______________, “Karl Popper (1902-1994),” British Philosophers, 1800-2000, Volume 262 in Dictionary of Literary Biography, edited by Philip Dematteis, Peter Fosl, and Leemon McHenry (Gale, 2002).
_______________, “Can Humanity Learn to Become Civilized: The Crisis of Science without Civilization,” Applied Philosophy, 17, 2000.
_______________, “Has Science Established that the Universe is Comprehensible?” Cogito, 13/2, 1999.
_______________, The Comprehensibility of the Universe: A New Conception of Science (Clarendon Press, 1998)
McHenry, Leemon, “Quine’s Pragmatic Ontology,” The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, IX/2, 1995.
________________. “On the Origin of Great Ideas: Science in the Age of Big Pharma,” Hastings Center Report, 35, 2005.
________________. “Ethical Issues in Psychopharmacology,” Journal of Medical Ethics, 2006.
________________. “Biomedical Research and Corporate Interests: A Question of Academic Freeom,” in Medicine, Mental Health, Science, Religion and Well-being, eds. A. R. Singh and S. A. Singh, Mens Sana Monographs, 2008 (available at www.msmonographs.org/preprintarticle.asp?id=37086)
________________. “Popper and Maxwell on Scientific Progress,” From Knowledge to Wisdom: Studies in the Thought of Nicholas Maxwell (Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag, forthcoming, 2009)
Popper, Karl, The Logic of Scientific Discovery (Hutchinson & Co, 1959)
__________, Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1963
__________, The Open Society and its Enemies, 2 vols. (Routledge, 1945)
Radner, Daisie and Radner, Michael, Science and Unreason (Wadsworth, 1982)
Weinberg, Steven, Dreams of a Final Theory (Pantheon, 1992)
______________, “The Revolution That Didn’t Happen,” The New York Review of Books, October 8, 1998, pp. 48-52.
Whitehead, Alfred North. Science and the Modern World (Cambridge, 1924)