russellk@cortland.edu

http://snycorva.cortland.edu/~russellk

Books

• McErlean, Jennifer. Philosophies of Science: From Foundations to Contemporary Issues. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2000.
• Packet of Xeroxed readings.

On reserve in the library for help in understanding issues is this book:

• Hung, Edwin. The Nature of Science: Problems and Perspectives. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company: 1997.

Course Description

In The Scientific Attitude Frederick Grinell says "there are three kinds of umpires: The first says `I call them [balls and strikes] as they are;' the second says: `I call them as I see them;' the third says, `What I call them is what they become.'"

We often think of science along the lines of the first umpire. It is successful only if facts are described with complete neutrality. Honest investigators can claim to know the objective truth only if they are bias-free. But is this goal possible?

Recent work in philosophy suggests not. This course will look at the reasons why. We will contrast the traditional view of science corresponding to the first umpire with contemporary views. Science is perhaps more like the second or third type of umpire. In studying the world, people bring their biases with them, and they cannot get outside the circle of assumptions they acquire from their own experience, culture and society. And if science is a form of collective practical activity, we must consider its political dimensions. Truth claims may contain hidden values that reflect the interests of powerful groups.

This course will serve as an introduction to philosophy of science and some ideas about the history of science. We will study the process of reasoning in science, the formation and testing of hypotheses, the nature of theories and their justification, as well as the character of scientific explanation. Positivists claimed that facts could be described with complete neutrality and that honest investigators can know the objective truth only if they are bias-free. Contemporary challenges to this standard view suggest that science is socially constructed through the influence of social institutions and cultural values. We will study attempts to salvage the concept of objectivity in the face of these challenges.

Course Requirements

Class participation: 10% of grade

• You are expected to attend every class session fully prepared having done the readings. Bring your reading assignment to class. Your grade will be lowered for excessive absences. Actively participating in class discussion is important.
• What counts as participation? Speaking up in class in constructive ways - either with questions or comments, collaborating effectively with other students and me, coming into my office, helping other students, etc.

Preparation:

Take notes on the study questions at the end of the articles in the McErlean book or ones handed out by me. In class I'll sporadically check to see that you've done this work.

During class time I will occasionally ask you to do some ungraded writing that illustrates your understanding of the readings or issues we're covering. These might be used to get discussion started or for working in groups. At times I will collect them to check the progress of the class.

Here are some suggestions to prepare for class discussion on readings. Consider these questions:

1. What is the most interesting thing you got out of the readings?
2. What was the hardest thing to understand?
3. Give an example of a controversy or issue from another class that seems relevant to the readings.
4. Write up one or two questions you want the class to discuss.

Two take home exams 30% each

One research paper 30%

Policies and Additional Information

1. Rewrites: You may rewrite exams if you want to try to get a better grade. You must turn in the original with your rewrite. No grade will be lowered, but there is no guarantee that your grade will be higher on the second version. Rewrites will be marked either "no improvement" or given a higher grade than the original. Rewrites which are substantially the same as the original with minor syntactic changes will be marked "no improvement".



2. SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services located in B-40 Van Hoesen Hall or call (607) 753-2066 for an appointment. Any information regarding your disability will remain confidential. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations should be made as early as possible. Any requests for accommodations will be reviewed in a timely manner to determine their appropriateness to this setting.

3. E-mail: Announcements, homework assignments, and information pertinent to our course work will be distributed by E-mail. Please get your account set up before the end of the first week. Always check your mail before class.
   
   
4. Absolutely NO late work will be accepted unless PRIOR arrangements are made with the instructor. Such arrangements will be made only under unusual circumstances.



5. Plagiarism: All work submitted must be your own. Ideas borrowed from others, either directly or through paraphrase, must be well-documented through endnotes or footnotes. If I suspect plagiarism the student will be reported to the Provost and can either accept the charge or defend her or himself in the Grievance Tribunal.



6. If you are absent, you are responsible for finding out what went on in class, whether any assignments were given, and for keeping up with your work.