Course Identification

Philosophy of science
20253282

Lecturers and Teaching Assistants

Dr. Tamar Schneider
N/A

Course Schedule and Location

2025
Second Semester
Thursday, 10:00 - 12:00, Goldsmith, room 108
27/03/2025
10/07/2025

Field of Study, Course Type and Credit Points

Life Sciences: Lecture; 2.00 points
Chemical Sciences: Lecture; 2.00 points

Comments

Hybrid format for reserve duty students ONLY

Prerequisites

No

Restrictions

30

Language of Instruction

English

Attendance and participation

Required in at least 80% of the lectures

Grade Type

Numerical (out of 100)

Grade Breakdown (in %)

5%
10%
30%
55%
Weekly assignments are very short reading responses

Evaluation Type

Final assignment

Scheduled date 1

N/A
N/A
-
N/A

Estimated Weekly Independent Workload (in hours)

2.5

Syllabus

This course explores some of the central philosophical questions raised about the nature of scientific knowledge. What is the nature of science which distinguishes it from other sources of beliefs? What is unique about the scientific cognitive practices and methodologies that make them reliable? But also, what are the limits of scientific understanding, and why is it important to examine them? What is scientific objectivity? How is scientific inquiry related to human and social values? Examining these questions, we will look into current issues such as biomedicine, data analysis, and climate change.

Students will engage with philosophical writing encountering the work of some of the principal recent and contemporary philosophers of science, including Nancy Cartwright, Thomas Kuhn, Helen Longino, Angela Potochnik, and Kyle Whyte.

Also, we will use The introductory book: Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction 2nd Edition by Samir Okasha, available in the library both in hard and electronic version.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

  • Become familiar with key issues and debates in philosophy of science;
  • Acquire tools, such as argument analysis and assumption detection, for the evaluation of philosophical claims about the sciences
  • Develop abilities to raise philosophical questions about particular scientific claims or about scientific inquiry in general.

 

Requirements:

5 % In-class participation

30% (1) Weekly reading responses (two to three sentences or questions)

  1. One presentation and leading discussion including a handout or slides
  2. One counterargument for an argument from a paper including handout of slides
  3. One questions on two separate papers to prepare to ask presenters

65 % Final paper based on the readings (3 pages minimum, font 12, line space 2)

 

 

Date

Topic

Reading

27/03

Introduction

A New York Times article: “A Black Hole Mystery Wrapped in a Firewall Paradox” By Dennis Overbye (https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/science/space/a- black-hole-mystery-wrapped-in-a-firewall-paradox.html)

 

Additional article from Scientific Amerika by Naomi Oreskes:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/if-you-say- science-is-right-youre-wrong/#

03/04

Scientific reasoning (kinds of reasoning

and argument)

Intro Ch. 2 “Scientific Reasoning” sections 1,3,4 (pp. 16-20 (top), 23-26 midddle).
 

 

 

Carl Hempel (1966), The Role of Induction in Scientific Inquiry. Readings in the Philosophy of Science: From Positivism to Postmodernism, by Theodore Schick, Jr.

Pp.41-49

10/04

Scientific reasoning (Evidence and theory)

Jacob Stegenga, “Is Meta-Analysis the Platinum

Standard of Evidence? Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C, 42 (2011) 497–507

08/05

Aims of Science (truth)

Intro ch. 4 “Realism and anti-Realism” pp. 54-66; optional: “Underdetermination” pp. 66-70

Angela Potochnik (2015) The diverse aims of science

15/05

Aims of science (Explanations)

Inro ch.3 “Can Science Explain Everything?” and “Explanation and Reduction” pp. 48-53

Evelyn Fox Keller (2020) Cognitive functions of metaphors in natural science. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 45:3, 249-267

22/05

Aims of Science (Predictions)

Chris Anderson, “The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific

Method Obsolete” Wired Magazine 16, 7 (2008) http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16- 07/pb_theory

Sabina Leonelli, “What Difference Does Quantity Make?” Big Data and Society 1-11, (2014)

29/05

Science, Knowledge, Rationality, and Objectivity

Intro ch.5 scientific revolutions pp.74-86

 

Thomas Kuhn, “The Nature and Necessity of Scientific Revolutions” ch. IX “Revolutions as Changes of World View” ch. X “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” (University of Chicago Press 1962, 2012)

05/06

Science, Knowledge,

Rationality, and Objectivity

Helen Longino (1979) Evidence and Hypothesis: An Analysis of Evidential Relations. Philosophy of Science,

46,1, pp. 35-56

12/06

Science, Knowledge,

Rationality, and Objectivity

Sophie Juliana Veigl (2022) Scientific Pluralism in Practice. Philosophy Theory and Practice of Biology

19/06

Science, Knowledge, Rationality, and

Objectivity

Sharon Crasnow (2013) Feminist Philosophy of Science: Values and Objectivity. Philosophy Compass

8/4: 413–423, 10.1111/phc3.12023

26/06

Science and Values (race)

Koffi N. Maglo (2010) Some epistemic and ethical

considerations. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 53, 3:357–72
 

03/07

Science and Values (de- colonialism)

Kyle Whyte (2013) On the role of traditional ecological knowledge as a collaborative concept: a philosophical

study. Ecological Processes, 2:7

10/07

Science and Values (de-

colonialism)

Kristina Rolin, Objectivity, trust, and social

responsibility. Synthese (2021) 199:513–533

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

  • Become familiar with key issues and debates in the philosophy of science;
  • Acquire tools, such as argument analysis and assumption detection, for the evaluation of philosophical claims about the sciences
  • Develop abilities to raise philosophical questions about particular scientific claims or about scientific inquiry in general.

Reading List

Reading

Topic

A New York Times article: “A Black Hole Mystery Wrapped in a Firewall Paradox” By Dennis Overbye

(https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/science/space/a-black-hole-mystery-wrapped-in-a-firewall-paradox.html)

 

Additional article from Scientific Amerika by Naomi Oreskes:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/if-you-say-science-is-right-youre-wrong/#

Introduction

Intro Ch. 2 “Scientific Reasoning” sections 1,3,4 (pp. 16-20 (top), 23-26 midddle).

 

Carl Hempel (1966), The Role of Induction in Scientific Inquiry. Readings in the Philosophy of Science: From Positivism to Postmodernism, by Theodore Schick, Jr. Pp.41-49

Scientific reasoning

(kinds of reasoning and argument)

Jacob Stegenga, “Is Meta-Analysis the Platinum Standard of Evidence? Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C, 42 (2011) 497–507 

Scientific reasoning

(Evidence and theory)

Intro ch. 4 “Realism and anti-Realism” pp. 54-66; optional: “Underdetermination” pp. 66-70

 

Angela Potochnik (2015) The diverse aims of science

Aims of Science

(truth)

Inro ch.3 “Can Science Explain Everything?” and “Explanation and Reduction” pp. 48-53

 

Evelyn Fox Keller (2020) Cognitive functions of metaphors in natural science. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 45:3, 249-267

Aims of science

(Explanations)

Chris Anderson, “The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific

Method Obsolete” Wired Magazine 16, 7 (2008)

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-07/pb_theory

 

Sabina Leonelli, “What Difference Does Quantity Make?” Big Data and Society 1-11, (2014)

Aims of Science

(Predictions)

Sophie Juliana Veigl (2022) Scientific Pluralism in Practice. Philosophy Theory and Practice of Biology

Aims of science

(Explanations)

Intro ch.5 scientific revolutions pp.74-86

 

Thomas Kuhn, “The Nature and Necessity of Scientific Revolutions” ch. IX “Revolutions as Changes of World View” ch. X “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” (University of Chicago Press 1962, 2012)

Science, Knowledge, Rationality, and Objectivity

 

Helen Longino (1979) Evidence and Hypothesis: An Analysis of Evidential Relations. Philosophy of Science, 46,1, pp. 35-56

Science, Knowledge, Rationality, and Objectivity

Sharon Crasnow (2013) Feminist Philosophy of Science: Values and Objectivity. Philosophy Compass 8/4: 413–423, 10.1111/phc3.12023

Science, Knowledge, Rationality, and Objectivity

Koffi N. Maglo (2010) Some epistemic and ethical considerations. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 53, 3:357–72

Science and Values (race)

Kyle Whyte (2013) On the role of traditional ecological knowledge as a collaborative concept: a philosophical study. Ecological Processes, 2:7

Science and Values (de-colonialism)

Kristina Rolin, Objectivity, trust, and social responsibility. Synthese (2021) 199:513–533

Science and Values (de-colonialism)

Final paper workshop

Last class

 

Website

N/A