Philosophy of Science



Philosophy 128
UC Berkeley
Spring, 2012
Location TBD, 11-12:30

Professor: Paul Skokowski
146 Moses Hall
Office Hours: Thu 3:15 - 4:30
paulsko{AT}stanford{D0T}edu

Texts:
Albert, Quantum Mechanics and Experience
Ariew (ed.), Leibniz and Clarke: Correspondence
Hacking, Representing and Intervening
Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Course Reader:
Course Reader Available at Copy Central on Bancroft.


Schedule: This is a preliminary schedule and will change

Introduction

Week 1, Tue, Jan 17:
Course Introduction, Schedule, and Grading

Introduction to Space and Time: The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence

Week 1, Thu, Jan 19:
Correspondence, Letters 1 & 2, p. 4-14.
* * * Click here for first reading * * *
Week 2, Tue, Jan 24:
Correspondence, Letters 3 & 4, p. 14-35.
* * * Click here for second reading * * *
Week 2, Thu, Jan 26:
Correspondence, Letter 5, p. 36-77.

Logical Positivism and Confirmationism

Week 3, Tue, Jan 31:
Reader, M. Schlick, Positivism and Realism
Week 3, Thu, Feb 2:
* * * * NO CLASS * * * *
Reader, C. Hempel, Philosophy of Natural Science, Ch. 1-3
Week 4, Tue, Feb 7:
Reader, C. Hempel, Philosophy of Natural Science, Ch. 4
Reader, R. Carnap, The Confirmation of Laws and Theories
Week 4, Thu, Feb 9:
* * * First Three Page Paper Topic Available Today * * *

Logical Positivism, and Review

Falsificationism

Week 5, Tue, Feb 14:
Reader, K. Popper, Science: Conjectures and Refutations
Week 5, Thu, Feb 16:
Reader, Lakatos, Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research

Scientific Revolutions

Week 6, Tue, Feb 21:
* * * First Three Page Paper Due Today, 11:00 AM * * *

Structure of Scientific Revolutions, T. Kuhn, p. 1-51
Week 6, Thu, Feb 23:
Structure of Scientific Revolutions, T. Kuhn, p. 52-91
Week 7, Tue, Feb 28:
Structure of Scientific Revolutions, T. Kuhn, p. 92-135
Week 7, Thu, March 1:
Structure of Scientific Revolutions, T. Kuhn, p. 136-173

So You Say You Want A Revolution? Well, You Know...

Week 8, Tue, March 6:
Reader, Popper, Normal Science and its Dangers
Reader, Masterman, The Nature of a Paradigm, 59-66
Week 8, Thu, March 8:
Reader, Masterman, The Nature of a Paradigm, 76-88
Reader, P. Feyerabend, Consolation for the Specialist
Week 9, Tue, March 13:
* * * * MID-TERM EXAM IN CLASS * * * *

Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics

Week 9, Thu, March 15:
Albert, Quantum Mechanics and Experience, Ch. 1, Superposition, p. 1-16
Week 10, Tue, March 20:
Albert, Ch. 2, Formalism, p. 17-60
Week 10, Thu, March 22:
Albert, Ch. 2, Formalism, p. 17-60
Week 11: March 26 - March 30:
* * * * SPRING RECESS - NO CLASS THIS WEEK * * * *
Week 12, Tue, April 3:
Albert, Ch. 3, Nonlocality, p. 61-72
Week 12, Thu, April 5:
* * * * NO CLASS * * * *
Albert, Ch. 4, Measurement, p. 73-79
Week 13, Tue, April 10:
Albert, Ch. 5, Collapse of the Wave Function, p. 80-111
Week 13, Thu, April 12:
Albert, Ch. 6, The Dynamics by Itself, p. 112-133
Week 14, Tue, April 17:
Albert, Ch. 7, Bohm's Theory, p. 134-179. Guest Lecturer: TBA
Albert, Ch. 8, Self-Measurement, p. 180-189

Realism and Anti-Realism
Week 14, Thu, April 19:
Reader, B. van Fraassen, Arguments Concerning Scientific Realism

Week 15, Tue, April 24:
Reader, A. Fine, And Not Anti-Realism Either
Week 16, Thu, April 26:
Representing and Intervening, I. Hacking, p. 1-40
Week 16: Tue, May 1:
Representing and Intervening, I. Hacking, p. 41-91
Week 17: Thu, May 3:
When Explanation Leads to Inference, N. Cartwright, Philosophical Topics, 13(1).

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paulsko{AT}turing{D0T}stanford{D0T}edu --- Tel: (650) 723-1275 --- Cordura Hall 127, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-4101