Science 240 Fall 1998

The Nature Of Scientific Thought

Short Paper #1

Due Monday Sept. 28

Length: 3 double-spaced typewritten pages with 1" margins. 12 point type. About 1000-1100 words. Worth 10% of the course grade.

Topic: The Underdetermination Problem.

Does the underdetermination problem pose a serious threat to the goal of obtaining scientific theories that are probably true or probably close to the truth?

Write a carefully crafted essay which includes the following elements:

1. A clear statement of your thesis somewhere in the first paragraph
2. An explanation of the alleged underdetermination problem: what it is and how it originates.
3. One or two positive arguments in favor of your thesis.
4. Acknowledge one or two problematic points for your thesis and/or arguments,

and develop a response to them.

Advice:

• Pick one particular strategy that you wish to pursue and develop and focus on it. Don't try to cover all relevant material. One strategy is to focus on the objective vs. subjective character of one or more of the internal pragmatic virtues. A second strategy is to focus on some other relevant aspect of the realism vs. empiricism debate.
• As Ken Starr says, the devil is in the details. Back up your thesis and arguments with specific details. A concrete example is sometimes worth 1000 other words. Try using some examples from ordinary life or real science as material for analysis, and use these examples to illustrate and/or support what you say.
• Obey the guidelines of good writing as learned in your Freshman writing courses.

Sloppy writing shows sloppy thinking.

Papers will be graded on the following criteria:

1. Clear statement of your thesis (So that you can stay focused on it)
2. Understanding of the relevant material
3. The rigor and strength of your arguments
4. Ability to do your own thinking and develop your own perspective.