Philosophy 210: Reasoning in the Sciences Fall 2008
SYLLABUS
Instructor: Weimin Sun
Office: Sierra Tower 505
Email: weimin.sun@csun.edu
Telephone: 818- 677- 6461
Office Hours: TR: 3:45-5:00 p.m.; also by appointment
Dept. Office: Sierra Tower 522, (tel.) 818- 677-2757
The concepts, methods, and limitations involved in the systematic procedures of empirical inquiry in the sciences and in ordinary thought, e.g., probability, measurement, causal relations, statistical inference, the concepts of "law" and "theory."
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Section A.1 (Analytical Reasoning/Expository Writing);
Either GE Section A.3 (Mathematics) or MATH 210
INSTRUCTOR DESCRIPTION:
This course satisfies the “Critical Thinking” component of the “Basic Skills” section of the General Education Program, which recognizes critical reasoning as a fundamental competence. Courses in this part of General Education take reasoning itself as their focus. This course introduces crucial components of critical thinking, especially the essential elements in scientific reasoning, including basic logic skills, the concept of possibility, probability, truth, knowledge and reality, and the scientific method. We aim to develop a skeptical attitude and an inquisitive mind to the large amount of information available today, and to learn fundamental principles of statement/theory evaluation. These goals will be accomplished by a careful and in-depth examination of extraordinary claims about weird things (such as ESP - Extra-sensory Perception, UFO- Unidentified Flying Objects, Miracle Cure, and etc.). In the end, students should be able to better evaluate such claims in general, which affects our life greatly, and be able to tell science from its pretenders.
GOAL:
Students will analyze information and ideas carefully and logically from multiple perspectives and develop reasoned solutions to problems.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will:
1. Explain and apply the basic concepts essential to a critical examination and evaluation of argumentative discourse;
2. Use investigative and analytical thinking skills to examine alternatives, explore complex questions and solve challenging problems;
3. Synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned conclusions;
4. Evaluate the logic and validity of arguments, and the relevance of data and information;
5. Recognize and avoid common logical and rhetorical fallacies.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students will:
1. understand and be able to apply the basic concepts essential to a critical examination and evaluation of argumentative discourses: e.g. argument/premise/conclusion, logical possibility/physical possibility/reality, probability, truth/knowledge/relativism, deductive validity, the scientific method;
2. develop skills to evaluate the logical structure of arguments and to tell good arguments from bad arguments;
3. recognize and avoid common logical and rhetorical fallacies;
4. recognize and be able to evaluate typically pseudo-scientific claims about things such as ESP, UFOs, Miracle Cure, and etc., and tell scientific claims from their pretenders;
5. understand and develop analytical skills to evaluate empirical/scientific statements based on available information and data;
6. develop skills to apply scientific reasoning/scientific method and to solve challenging empirical/scientific problems faced in daily life;
The Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) are targeted by the corresponding Objectives as follows:
|
SLOs |
(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
(4) |
(5) |
|
Course Objectives |
1-6 |
1, 4-6 |
1, 4-6 |
1,2, 4-6 |
1-3 |
TOPICS COVERED:
Argument, deductive validity, formal fallacy, informal fallacy, inductive reasoning, abductive reasoning; logical possibility, physical possibility, subjective validation, availability error, confirmation bias, probability judgment; solipsism, subjectivism, social constructivism, cultural relativism, knowledge, truth, justification, reality; scientific method, theory evaluation, simplicity, testability, fruitfulness, empirical support, conservativeness; causality, theory, hypothesis; UFO, miracle cure, ESP, creationism, astrology, prophecy.
TEXT (required; note its edition)
How to think about Weird Things, 4th. ed. (or 5th edition) by Schick & Vaughn. McGraw-Hill. 2004
There is also an electronic version of the 5th edition available (which is much cheaper) at the University Bookstore. Ask University Bookstore for more infomation.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. You are expected to attend every class meeting and to arrive on time. You should try your best to be on time. Late entries and early departures are very distracting to students who are trying to get the most out of their experience in the class.
2. Absence from classes will be excused only by prior arrangement with the instructor, or with a signed physician's note certifying illness. Other extenuating circumstances will require discussion with the instructor at your earliest convenience.
3. You are expected to study carefully the assigned text passages and attempt the problems you encounter there, and to actively participate in class discussions.
Course Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism:
Academic dishonesty is a very serious issue. Students can expect discovery of a violation to result in the filing of a Student Misconduct Complaint with the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. For information on what constitutes academic dishonesty and the possible repercussions of and penalties for acts of academic dishonesty, consult the CSUN Student Conduct Code ( pp. 536‑8 of the 2006‑8 University Catalog). Links to the Code and other helpful resources are found at: http://www.csun.edu/~studaff/student_conduct.html.
WebCT
WebCT is a web-based learning environment, which can greatly enhance both learning and teaching. I will post useful course materials WebCT and your grades will be put on WebCT immediately after they are available. Each student can only access his/her own grade. Course Calendar, email, discussion form, chat room are also available on WebCT. Go to webteach.csun.edu to logon WebCT. The logon ID and password are the same as your CSUN email address (as ID) and password.
Ø Participation (including attendance) -- 10%
Ø 6 Homework or quizzes (count the best 5) -- 15% (3% each)
Ø 2 Exams -- 50% (25% each)
Ø Team Project -- 25%
1. All grades are posted on WebCT when available. The final grade is the weighted sum of all grade components, and will be rounded to the first decimal. The plus/minus system will also be used. The scale is:
|
A |
A- |
B+ |
B |
B- |
C+ |
C |
C- |
D+ |
D |
D- |
F |
|
≥92.0 |
90-91.9 |
88-89.9 |
82-87.9 |
80-81.9 |
78-79.9 |
72-77.9 |
70-71.9 |
68-69.9 |
62-67.9 |
60-61.9 |
<60 |
For example, for 89.94 you get a B+; and for 89.95, it will be rounded to 90.0 and you get an A-.
2. Active participation in and out of the classroom is of crucial importance to your success in this course. Attendance is counted, and is a part of participation grade. Each student is allowed 1 unexcused absence. Beyond this, each unexcused absence will cost you ½ point of participation.
3. Two exams (of multiple choice and short essay questions) are required. You are also required to work as a team (of maximum 5 members) on a selected project at the end of semester, following the format of case studies presented in Chapter 9 of the textbook. The presentation will take about 25 minutes, plus 10 minutes of discussion.
Course Schedule and Reading Assignments (the page numbers are based on the 4th edition of the book)
(Readings should be finished before each class meeting):
|
Week 1: Introduction |
8/26 (Tues.) |
First Class; No Reading Assignment |
|
8/28 (Thurs.) |
Introduction: Close Encounters with the Strange Read: Chap. 1 Video: Talking to the Dead |
|
|
Week 2-3:
Logic: a brief introduction |
9/2 |
Arguments: what are they & why do we need them? Read pp. 154-157 |
|
9/4 |
Kinds of Arguments; Deductive Validity; Argument Forms Read pp. 158-165 |
|
|
9/9 |
Quiz 1 Common Valid Argument Forms; Exercises |
|
|
9/11 |
Fallacies: Informal Fallacies Read pp. 165-171 |
|
|
9/16 |
Physical and Logical Impossibility; Two Fallacies Read pp. 15-30 |
|
|
Week 4-6:
Does Personal Experience Warrant Judgment?
What is knowledge?
|
9/18 |
Homework #1 due Perception and Illusion; Perceptual Construction Read pp. 35-54 |
|
9/23 |
Memory Construction; Video: UFO Traps in Judgment Read pp. 55-76 |
|
|
9/25 |
Quiz 2 Video: Nostradamus Judging about Odds Read pp. 74-81 |
|
|
9/30 |
Solipsism, Subjectivism, and Social Constructivism Read pp. 88-101 |
|
|
10/2 |
Conceptual Schemes Relativism & Critique of Relativism Read pp. 101-110 |
|
|
|
10/7 |
Homework #2 due Knowledge and Justification Read pp. 114-122 Video: Ouija Board |
|
Week 7-8 |
10/9 |
Justifications of Belief Case study: Astrology Read pp. 123-149 |
|
|
10/14 |
Exam I |
|
|
10/16 |
What is Science? Read pp. 175-182 |
|
|
10/21 |
The Scientific Method Read pp. 182-187 |
|
Week 10-12:
Scientific Reasoning |
10/23 |
Inference to the best explanation
|
|
10/28 |
Homework 3 due Criteria of Adequacy Read pp. 187-197 |
|
|
10/30 |
Continued; applying IBE. |
|
|
11/4 |
Case studies (I) – Creation vs. Evolution Read pp. 198-210 |
|
|
11/6 |
Case studies (II) – Parapsychology Read pp. 210-225 |
|
|
11/11 |
Veteran’s Day. No Class. |
|
|
Week 13-14: Applications |
11/13 |
Homework 4 due Miracle Cure: Personal experience, Doctor’s evidence and Cultural Traditions Read pp. 232-250 |
|
11/18 |
The reasoning in the sciences Statistical Reasoning Read pp. 250-266 Review for Exam II |
|
|
11/20 |
Exam II |
|
|
11/25 |
Team Project Preparation |
|
|
|
11/27 |
Thanksgiving—Happy Holiday! |
|
Week 15-6: Student Presentation |
12/2 |
Team Project Presentation |
|
12/4 |
Team Project Presentation |
|
|
12/9 |
Team Project Presentation |
|
|
|
|
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Note: This schedule is tentative and is up to revision. Such revisions (if any) will be announced in class and posted online.