Philosophy of Science

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This course serves as a basic introduction to the philosophical issues in science. We cover major topics in a loosely historical manner. First, we discuss what science is from historical and sociological perspectives. This takes us to the question of whether induction is the method of science and the problem(s) of induction. We then explore Popper’s criterion of falsification as both a demarcation of science and a solution to the problem of induction. This leads us to Duhem-Quine and whether crucial experiments exist. We raise further problems for Popper when we discuss Kuhn and his analysis of normal science and paradigm shifts. Aside from that general historical approach which is constant from class to class, we also explore other topics in philosophy of science.

Topics vary from semester to semester, but often include:

• Induction, Deduction, and Falsification
• Theory Choice, Underdetermination, and Theory-Ladeness of Observation
• Scientific Realism
• Explanation, Reductionism, and Laws of Nature
• Special Sciences: Philosophy of Math, Statistics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Historical Sciences, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Economics, and Sociology
• Scientific Values, Feminist Epistemology, and Science & Society
• The Replicability Crisis, Scientific Hoaxes, and Scientific Misconduct

• Syllabus (Fall 2019)
• Syllabus (Fall 2017)
• Syllabus (Spring 2017)

• Handouts (Fall 2019) (I switched to handouts this semester)
• Slides (Fall 2017)
• Slides (Spring 2017)