Philosophy 355 Homepage

SYLLABUS

READINGS

Scientific Explanations

• Rudolf Carnap, "The Value of Laws: Explanation and Prediction"
• Carl Hempel, "Two Basic Types of Scientific Explanation"
• Carl Hempel, "The Thesis of Structural Identity"
• David-Hillel Ruben, "Arguments, Laws, and Explanations"
• Bas van Fraassen, "The Pragmatics of Explanation"
  • Reading Guide

Laws of Nature

• A. J. Ayer, "What Is a Law of Nature?"
  • Just for fun: Ayer vs. Mike Tyson and Ayer's Cigarette Case (at the 4:20 mark)
• Fred Dretske, "Laws of Nature"
• Nancy Cartwright, "Do the Laws of Physics State the Facts?"

Scientific Reduction

• Ernest Nagel, "Issues in the Logic of Reductive Explanation"
• Jerry Fodor, "Special Sciences (Or: The Disunity of Science as a Working Hypothesis)"
• Phillip Kitcher, "1953 and All That: A Tale of Two Sciences"

Realism vs. Anti-Realism

• Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
  • Sections I, VI, and VII
  • Section IX
• Bas van Fraassen, "Arguments Concerning Scientific Realism"
• Larry Laudan, "A Confutation of Convergent Realism"

ASSIGNMENTS

• First Essay
  • How Not To Plagiarize
  • Jim Pryor's Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper
  • Sample assignment from 2008:
    • Question
    • Answer
• Second Essay
• Third Essay
• Fourth Essay
• Fifth Essay
  

FINAL EXAM INFO

• Study Questions (last updated Nov. 13)
• Thursday, Dec. 17th, 12-3pm