(in Polish) Topics in the Philosophy of Science

General data

Course ID:	3501-TPS20-S
Erasmus code / ISCED:	08.1 Kod klasyfikacyjny przedmiotu składa się z trzech do pięciu cyfr, przy czym trzy pierwsze oznaczają klasyfikację dziedziny wg. Listy kodów dziedzin obowiązującej w programie Socrates/Erasmus, czwarta (dotąd na ogół 0) – ewentualne uszczegółowienie informacji o dyscyplinie, piąta – stopień zaawansowania przedmiotu ustalony na podstawie roku studiów, dla którego przedmiot jest przeznaczony. / (0223) Philosophy and ethics The ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) code has been designed by UNESCO.
Course title:	(unknown)
Name in Polish:	Topics in the Philosophy of Science
Organizational unit:	Faculty of Philosophy
Course groups:
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores):	(not available) Basic information on ECTS credits allocation principles: the annual hourly workload of the student’s work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes for a given stage is 1500-1800h, corresponding to 60 ECTS; the student’s weekly hourly workload is 45 h; 1 ECTS point corresponds to 25-30 hours of student work needed to achieve the assumed learning outcomes; weekly student workload necessary to achieve the assumed learning outcomes allows to obtain 1.5 ECTS; work required to pass the course, which has been assigned 3 ECTS, constitutes 10% of the semester student load. view allocation of credits
Language:	English
Type of course:	elective seminars
Mode:	Classroom
Short description:	The course provides an introduction to the philosophy of science. It is divided into two parts: (i) the epistemology of science and scientific method; (ii) the formal analysis of the structure of scientific theories.
Full description:	The seminar will cover two main areas: a) The epistemology of scientific theories. b) The structure of scientific theories. In the first part, the course will examine epistemological issues surrounding science: the demarcation problem; the problem of induction; the nature of observation; the debate between scientific realism and versions of anti-realism, such as instrumentalism, constructive empiricism and structural realism. In the second part, the course will examine the structure of scientific theories: How are theories formalized? How is the observation/theory distinction captured? How is the notion of empirical adequacy defined? What is a Ramsey sentence? Does Newman’s objection undermine structural realism? How is mathematics applied in science? Is mathematics indispensable? What consequences does this have for debates about nominalism and mathematical realism?
Bibliography:	Anthologies [1] Curd, M., Cover, J.A, & Pincock, C. (eds.). 2012: Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues. [2] Psillos, S & Curd, M. (eds) 2013: The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science. Epistemology of science [3] Popper, K.R. 1962: Conjectures & Refutations. [4] Kuhn, T. 1962: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. [5] van Fraassen, B.C. 1980: The Scientific Image. [6] Psillos, S. 1998: Scientific Realism. Logical structure of scientific theories [7] Winther, R. 2015: “The Structure of Scientific Theories”. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (online). [8] Carus, A. and Leitgeb, H. 2020: “Rudolf Carnap”. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (online). [9] Colyvan, M. 2019: “Indispensability Arguments in the Philosophy of Mathematics”. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (online). [10] Burgess, J & Rosen, G. 1997: A Subject with No Object. Separate articles and reading will be selected as the seminar proceeds.
Learning outcomes:	Knowledge: students should demonstrate this knowledge: - comprehensive knowledge of the main issues arising in relation to the epistemology of scientific theories, their structure and debates about the applicability of mathematics in science. - the central concepts from mathematical logic used to analyse scientific theories. - the ideas and arguments of the most prominent philosophers who have worked on these problems. Skills: students should demonstrate their ability to: - seek, analyze, evaluate, select, and use information from traditional and electronic sources - read and interpret research-level papers on philosophy of science and mathematics - ability to analyse these ideas and arguments, identifying their strengths and weakenesses. - ability to orally present, discuss and criticize these ideas and arguments Social competence: students should: - understand the need for constant theoretical reflection and professional development - be open to new ideas and criticism - organize workplans effectively
Assessment methods and assessment criteria:	a) One written essay: 95% of overall marks b) Class participation: 5% of overall marks Grading The minimum passing grade is 60%. 60% - 3 (sufficient) 68% - 3,5 (satisfactory) 74% - 4 (good) 82% - 4,5 (better than good) 90% - 5 (very good) 95% - 5! (excellent) 6) Number of absences Students may have two unexcused absences. If one or two additional excused absences occur, extra work may be done as a make-up. Failure to complete said work or more than two unexcused absences will result in failure to complete the class. Absence does not exempt a student from the work required for satisfactory completion of the course. Merely attending class does not constitute participation. To participate is to arrive at class punctually and to regularly contribute to collegiate discussion. Students’ participation in class will be closely monitored throughout the semester.

This course is not currently offered.

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Copyright by University of Warsaw.