- Docente: Maria Carla Galavotti
- Credits: 12
- SSD: M-FIL/02
- Language: Italian
- Moduli: Maria Carla Galavotti (Modulo 1) Raffaella Campaner (Modulo 2)
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
- Campus: Bologna
-
Corso:
First cycle degree programme (L) in
History (cod. 0962)
Also valid for First cycle degree programme (L) in Philosophy (cod. 0957)
First cycle degree programme (L) in Oriental History and Civilisations (cod. 0963)
First cycle degree programme (L) in Anthropology, Religions, Oriental Civilizations (cod. 8493)
Course contents
The course will provide an introduction to contemporary philosophy of science. The presentation contained in S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science (also available in English) will be followed. Some topics will be expanded with the aid of additional bibliographical material (see the Programme).
The following topics will be dealt with:
1. Historical introduction to contemporary philosophy of science
and its birth in connection with the Vienna Circle and discussion
of the viewpoint of some antecedents including Pierre Duhem, Ernst
Mach, Henri Poincaré.
2. Scientific reasoning: deductive and inductive reasoning. This part of the course will include a short introduction to formal logic (propositional calculus) and probability;
3. Scientific explanation and causality;
4. The realism/anti-realism debate;
5. Scientific change and scientific revolutions;
6. Philosophical problems in particular disciplines (physics, biology, social sciences).Readings/Bibliography
S. Okasha, Philosophy of Science, Oxford U.P., 2002.
H. Hahn, O. Neurath e R. Carnap, The Scientific Conception of the World: the Vienna Circle, Reidel,1973.
D. Gillies, Philosophy of Science in the XX Century, Blackwell, 1993, Part I and II, pp. 3-116.
M.C. Galavotti, "Probability", in The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science, ed. by S. Psillos and M. Curd, 2008, pp. 414-424.
J. Woodward, "Explanation", in The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science, ed. by S. Psillos and M. Curd, 2008, pp. 171-181.
M. Salmon, “Philosophy of the Social Sciences”, in Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, ed. by M. Salmon, J. Earman et a., Prentice Hall, 1992, pp. 404-425.
C. Hitchcock, "Causation", in The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science, ed. by S. Psillos and M. Curd, 2008, pp. 317-326.
Readings will be made available to the students in the library of the Department of Philosophy (via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor).
Teaching methods
The course will consist in a series of lectures.
Assessment methods
The final exam will consist in a written test. It will last 2
hours, and the student will be required to answer open questions on
the readings included in the programme.
Teaching tools
Lectures will profit from power point presentations and/or
projection of slides. Short movies on relevant topics will be
shown.
Lectures will be partly given by prof. Raffaella Campaner.
The course will start on
October 1, 2012
Classes will be held on
Monday, Tuersday, Wednesday, 11-13, Room Tibiletti, via Zamboni 38,
4th floor.
Office hours
See the website of Maria Carla Galavotti
See the website of Raffaella Campaner