The Structure of Scientific Thought

Course outline

• What is science?

• Evolutionary Theory and Intelligent Design Creationism

• Biology & worldviews

• Cosmology, World View, and the Limits of Science

Lecture schedule

1. W Aug. 28  Introduction to the Course.

1. What is science? (Professor Hiskes)

   1. Aristotle: Science, Logic, and World View.  (4 sessions:  F 8/30 through  M 9/9)
      1. Aristotle’s Philosophy of Science.  "Aristotle’s Philosophy of Science", by John Losee (Reserve).
      2. Deductive Logic and Conditionals.  "Deductive Arguments" by Elliot Sober (Reserve).
      3. Richards, Chapt. 4 ""Implications and Conditionals."
      4. Aristotle and World View.  Richards, pp. 4-10.
      5. Study guide #1: Aristotle’s Philosophy of Science; Deductive Reasoning
   2. Bacon and the Idols of Human Understanding  (2 sessions: W 9/11, F 9/13)
      1. "Induction" by Anthony O’Hear, pp.12-25 (Reserve)
      2. "Preserving Animals Alive By Blowing Through Their Lungs With Bellows," by Robert Hooke, (Reserve).
      3. "Induction and Abduction," by Elliot Sober, pp. 20-26 (Reserve).
      4. Limitations of Bacon’s Scientific Method.  Kosso pp. 13-23.
      5. Study guide #2: Aristotle & Worldview; Bacon and the Idols of Human Understanding
   3. Popper: Science is Conjecture and Refutation (2 sessions: M 9/16,W 9/18)
      1. Popper and the Method of Conjecture and Refutation. "Conjectures and Refutations" by Karl Popper (Reserve);  Kosso, pp. 69-78.
      2. Case Study: Testing Theories in Cosmology.  Ellis, pp. 48-54.
      3. Limitations of Popper’s Method of Science.  Kosso pp. 78-86.
      4. Study guide #3: Evaluating Theories; Popper's View of Science; Choosing the Best Explanation
   4. Choosing the Best Explanation (2 sessions: F 9/20; M 9/23)
      1. The "Surprise Principle" and "Induction and Abduction" pp. 22-32 by Elliot Sober (Reserve).
      2. Nonempirical Virtues.  Kosso pp. 27-47
      3. Ellis pp. 14-21.
      4. Objectivity, Subjectivity, and Theory Choice.  Kosso pp. 87-104.
   5. Observations in Science – Facts or Hypotheses? (1 session W 9/25)
      1. Kuhn "Revolutions as Changes of World View" (Reserve).
      2. Kosso pp. 105-122.
   6. Putting It all Together (3 sessions – F 9/27, M 9/30, W 10/2)
      1. Science and Culture.  "Points East and West: A Comparative Philosophy of Science," by Allchin (Reserve).
      2. Science Is Not a Special Form of Knowledge.  "How to Defend Society Against Science," by Paul Feyerabend (Reserve).
      3. What Is Science?  "Why Astrology is a Pseudo-science," by Paul Thagard (Reserve).
      4. Study guide #4: Allchin, Feyerabend, and Thagard

2. Evolutionary Theory and Intelligent Design Creationism (Professor Holsinger)

   Study guide #5: Evolutionary theory and creationist theory

   1. The structure of evolutionary theory (2 sessions, F 10/4, M 10/7) – F 10/4 through W 10/23)
      1. Richards, pp. 1-25.

   2. Mid-term exam (W 10/9; on material through W 10/2)

   3. Historical explanation (3 sessions F 10/11 through F 10/18; NOTE: No Class Monday, 10/14)
      1. "General Laws in History," by Hempel (Reserve).
      2. "Darwin’s appeal to biogeography," Kitcher (Reserve).
      3. "An attempt to explain the laws of geographical distribution," Darwin (Reserve).
      4. "Mass extinctions," pp. 647-658 in Ridley, Evolution (Reserve).
   4. Creationism, natural theology, and intelligent design (2 sessions M 10/21, W 10/23)
      1. Richards, pp. 25­–50.
      2. "Evolution and the new creationism: a proposal for compromise," Arnhart (Reserve).
      3. "The design detectives," Rosenhouse (Reserve).

3. Biology & worldviews (Professor Holsinger)

   Study guide #6: Human nature after Darwin

   1. Degrees of Darwinism (1 session, F 10/25)
      1. Richards, pp. 51-66.
   2. The evolutionary psychology of sex (2 sessions, M 10/28, W 10/30)
      1. Richards, pp. 67-86.
   3. Biological determinism (4 sessions, F 11/1 through F 11/8)
      1. Richards, pp. 100-153.
   4. Evolution and ethics (4 sessions M 11/11 through M 11/18)
      1. Richards, pp. 154-195.
   5. Relativism, reductionism, biology, and human affairs (1 session W 11/20)
      1. Richards, pp. 195-211.

4. Cosmology, World View, and the Limits of Science (Professor Hiskes; 6 sessions: F 11/22 through M 12/9

   Study Guide #7: Cosmology, world View, and the limits of science

   1. The Origin of the Universe – Filling in the Details. Ellis, pp. 48-62.
   2. The End of the Universe. Ellis, pp. 62-70.
   3. Technical Problems in Completing the Model.
      Ellis, Chapt. 6
   4. The Problem of Initial Conditions and the Anthropic
      Principles. Ellis, Chapt. 7
   5. Constructing a Unified, Complete
      World-View. Ellis, Chapt. 8 pp.102-110.
   6. Science & religious belief.
      Haught, “Is religion opposed to science?” (Reserve).