CANCELLED!
PHIL 209 Philosophy of Science
It is a generally held belief, in our times and culture, that science is the best source of our knowledge of the world, and of ourselves. The aim of this course is to examine the origins, grounds, and nature of this belief. We will analyze and discuss various accounts of scientific method, structure and justification of scientific theories, scientific choice, change, and the idea that scientific knowledge is progressive. The course will begin with the "received view" of scientific theories, methods, and knowledge, advanced by logical positivists, which assumes the objectivity and the rationality of science. We will then discuss philosophies of science that emerged out of various criticisms of this view-especially those of Popper, Lakatos, Kuhn and Feyerabend-and the challenges to the assumptions of scientific objectivity and rationality their works provoked. This discussion will naturally lead us to the relativist and social-constructivist views developed within contemporary science studies. Finally, we will analyze the current debate about the cognitive credentials of science and the proper approach to the study of science, which came to be known as "the science wars." Requirements: frequent short assignments, class presentation, class participation, and a longer (5-7 pages) term paper. Prerequisites: Philosophy 102, 103, Linguistics 131, or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 5-10).