Philosophy of Science

Philosophy 128 UC Berkeley Summer, 2012 220 Wheeler Hall Professor: Paul Skokowski 146 Moses Hall Office Hours: Tuesdays, 3:45-5 PM paulsko ~at~ stanford ~dot~ edu GSI: Nicholas Goodling ngooding ~at~ berkeley ~dot~ edu Texts: Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Albert, Quantum Mechanics and Experience Hacking, Representing and Intervening Course Reader: Course Reader Available at Copy Central on Bancroft. Logical Positivism, Empiricism, and Falsification Week 1, Mon, May 21: Introduction and Course Overview Reader, M. Schlick, Positivism and Realism Week 1, Tue, May 22: Reader, C. Hempel, Philosophy of Natural Science, Ch. 1-4 Reader, R. Carnap, The Confirmation of Laws and Theories Reader, K. Popper, Science: Conjectures and Refutations Scientific Revolutions Week 1, Thursday, May 24: Reader, Lakatos, Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Structure of Scientific Revolutions, T. Kuhn, Ch I-IV, Week 2: Monday, May 28: * * * * Memorial Day Holiday, NO CLASS * * * * Week 2, Tuesday, May 29: Structure of Scientific Revolutions, T. Kuhn, Ch V-IX Week 2: Thursday, May 31st: Structure of Scientific Revolutions, T. Kuhn, Ch X-XIII Week 3: Monday, June 4: Reader, Popper, Normal Science and its Dangers Reader, P. Feyerabend, Consolation for the Specialist Reader, Masterman, The Nature of a Paradigm Review of Logical Positivism and Scientific Revolutions Week 3: Tuesday, June 5: * * * * MID-TERM EXAM IN CLASS * * * * Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics Week 3: Thursday, June 7: Albert, Quantum Mechanics and Experience, Ch. 1, Superposition Albert, Ch. 2, Formalism Week 3: Monday, June 11: Albert, Ch. 2, Formalism Albert, Ch. 3, Nonlocality Week 4: Tue, June 12: Albert, Ch. 4, Measurement Albert, Ch. 5, Collapse of the Wave Function Week 4: Thursday, June 14: Albert, Ch. 6, The Dynamics by Itself Week 4: Monday June 18th: Albert, Ch. 7, Bohm's Theory Realism, Anti-Realism and Reality Testing Week 5: Tuesday, June 19: Reader, B. van Fraassen, Arguments Concerning Scientific Realism Reader, A. Fine, And Not Anti-Realism Either Week 5: Thursday, June 21: Visiting Lecture on QM and Nonlocality by Professor Reed Guy Week 5: Monday, June 25: Hacking, Representing and Intervening, Cambridge University Press, 1983, p. 1-91 Week 6: Tue, June 26: When Explanation Leads to Inference, N. Cartwright, Philosophical Topics, 13(1). Realism and Review Week 6: Thursday, June 28th: * * * * FINAL EXAM IN CLASS * * * * Philosophy Research | Talks | Teaching | Publications | Home paulsko{AT}turing{D0T}stanford{D0T}edu --- Tel: (510) 642-2722 --- Cordura Hall 127, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305-4101