Philosophy of Science
Fall 2023
A reconstruction of the Early Cretaceous paravian dinosaur, Microraptor. Analysis of melanosomes from fossil samples reveals that its feathers were an iridescent black. From Li, Quanguo et al, “Reconstruction of Microraptor and the Evolution of Iridescent Plumage”, in Science, Vol 335, Issue 6073, pp. 1215-1219, 9 October 2012.
Details
| Course Code | Location | Times |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL-SHU 90 | 567 West Yangsi Road, Room E204 | Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:45am—11:00am |
Instructor
| Name | Office | Consultation Times | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Weslake | brad.weslake@nyu.edu | 567 West Yangsi Road, Room W826 | By appointment |
Overview
This class is an advanced introduction to the philosophy of science.
Assessment
The final grade will be determined approximately as follows:
| Attendance and participation: | 10% |
| First Oral Exam: | 15% |
| Second Oral Exam: | 20% |
| Paper (Outline): | 10% |
| Paper (Draft): | 15% |
| Paper (Final): | 30% |
Assessment dates:
| First Oral Exam: | After 19 September | |
| Second Oral Exam: | After 10 October | |
| Paper (Outline): | Friday 10 November | |
| Paper (Draft): | Friday 24 November | |
| Paper (Final): | Friday 8 December |
Policies
Lateness and Attendance
Students are required to attend all classes on time. Lateness will count against your attendance and participation grade. Students missing 4 classes will receive an attendance and participation grade of F. Students missing 6 classes will receive a final grade of F.
Integrity
It is a condition on passing this course that students read and adhere to the NYU Shanghai policy on academic integrity as described in the current NYU Shanghai Academic Bulletin.
Course Materials
All notes, readings and assignments can be found on the course Brightspace site here.
Selected books are available on reserve in the library.
Schedule
Meeting 1: Introductory Discussion (Tuesday 29 August)
Section I: Laws
Meeting 2: Against Fundamentalism (Thursday 31 August)
- Cartwright, Nancy. 1994. “Fundamentalism vs. the Patchwork of Laws”, in Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Vol. 94, No. 1, June, pp. 279–292. URI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aristotelian/94.1.279.
Meeting 3: For Fundamentalism (Tuesday 5 September)
- Sklar, Lawrence. 2003. “Dappled Theories in a Uniform World”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 70, No. 2, April, pp. 424–441. URI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/375476.
Meeting 4: Regularities (Thursday 7 September)
- Bird, Alexander. 1998. “Laws of Nature”, in Philosophy of Science, McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, pp. 17–40. For today, read pp. 17–32.
Meeting 5: Necessities (Tuesday 12 September)
- Bird, Alexander. 1998. “Laws of Nature”, in Philosophy of Science, McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, pp. 17–40. For today, read pp. 33–40.
Meeting 6: Governing (Thursday 14 September)
- Beebee, Helen. 2000. “The Non-Governing Conception of Laws of Nature”, in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Vol. 61, No. 3, November, pp. 571–594. URI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2653613.
Meeting 7: Review (Tuesday 19 September)
Section II: Explanation
Meeting 8: Nomological Theories (Thursday 21 September)
- Hempel, Carl Gustav. 1965. “Aspects of Scientific Explanation”, in Aspects of Scientific Explanation and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science, Free Press, New York, pp. 331–496. Read §§1–2.2.
Meeting 9: Singular Causal Explanations (Tuesday 26 September)
- Woodward, James. 2003. “Causal Explanation: Background and Criticism”, in Making Things Happen: A Theory of Causal Explanation, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 152–186. URI: https://doi.org/10.1093/0195155270.001.0001.002.011.
Meeting 10: Causal Theories (Thursday 28 September)
- Lewis, David. 1986. “Causal Explanation”, in Philosophical Papers, Oxford University Press, Oxford, Vol. II, pp. 214–240. URI: http://doi.org/10.1093/0195036468.003.0007.
- Sober, Elliott. 1983. “Equilibrium Explanation”, in Philosophical Studies, Vol. 43, No. 2, March, pp. 201–210. URI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00372383.
Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Holiday: Fall Break
Meeting 11: Counterfactual Theories (Tuesday 10 October)
- Woodward, James and Hitchcock, Christopher. 2003. “Explanatory Generalizations, Part I: A Counterfactual Account”, in Noûs, Vol. 37, No. 1, March, pp. 1–24. URI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0068.00426.
Meeting 12: Explanatory Depth (Thursday 12 October)
- Woodward, James and Hitchcock, Christopher. 2003. “Explanatory Generalizations, Part II: Plumbing Explanatory Depth”, in Noûs, Vol. 37, No. 2, June, pp. 181–199. URI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0068.00435.
- Weslake, Brad. 2010. “Explanatory Depth”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 77, No. 2, April, pp. 273–294. URI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/651316.
Meeting 13: Review (Tuesday 17 October)
Meeting 14: (Thursday 19 October)
Meeting 15: (Tuesday 24 October)
Meeting 16: (Thursday 26 October)
Meeting 17: (Tuesday 31 October)
Meeting 18: (Thursday 2 November)
Meeting 19: (Tuesday 7 November)
Meeting 20: (Thursday 9 November)
Meeting 21: (Tuesday 14 November)
Meeting 22: (Thursday 16 November)
Meeting 23: (Tuesday 21 November)
Meeting 24: (Thursday 23 November)
Meeting 25: (Tuesday 28 November)
Meeting 26: (Thursday 30 November)
Meeting 27: (Tuesday 5 December)
Meeting 28: (Thursday 7 December)
Updated: 20 September 2023