Phil 125: Philosophy of Science
Fall, 2020
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Readings

Thursday, October 1
: (no reading, first class). (.)

Part I: Carnap/Goodman/Quine
 
Tuesday, October 6
: Carnap, Aufbau, Preface to 1st Edition (pp. xv–xviii); §§1–5 (pp. 5–10); §§17–25 (pp. 31–43). I’ve made this first reading available here. (.)
Thursday, October 8
: Carnap, Aufbau, §§26–41 (pp. 47–70); §§46–60 (pp. 78–97). (.)
Tuesday, October 13
: Carnap, Aufbau, §67 (pp. 107–9); §§95–6 (pp. 152–4); §§98–103 (pp. 156–63); §§125–8 (pp. 194–9); §157 (p. 246); §§160–61 (pp. 254–7); §§165–9 (pp. 263–72). (.)
Thursday, October 15
: Carnap, Aufbau, §§175–83 (pp. 281-98). (.)
Tuesday, October 20
: Carnap, The Unity of Science, §§1–3 and 6; Neurath, “Protocol Sentences”; Carnap, “On Protocol Sentences.” (.)
Thursday, October 22
: Carnap, “The Methodological Character of Theoretical Concepts,” §§1-6, beginning of §7 (through the paragraph that ends on top of p. 54), and §§8–10; Putnam, “What Theories Are Not.” (.)
Tuesday, October 27
: Goodman, Fact, Fiction, and Forecast, ch. 2 (pp. 31–58). (.)
Thursday, October 29
: Goodman, Fact, Fiction, and Forecast, ch. 3 and beginning of ch. 4 (pp. 59–99). (.)
Tuesday, November 3
: Quine, “Epistemology Naturalized.” (.)

Part II: Popper/Kuhn
 
Thursday, November 5
: Popper, LSD, ch. 1 and 2 (pp. 3–34). (.)
Tuesday, November 10
: Popper, LSD ch. 3 (pp. 37–56). (.)
Thursday, November 12
: Popper, LSD, ch. 4 (pp. 57–73) (and Midterm assignment — exam or paper — due). (.)
Tuesday, November 17
: Popper, LSD, ch. 5 (pp. 74–94). (.)
Thursday, November 19
: Popper, LSD, ch. 10 beginning and §79 (pp. 248–52); §82 (pp. 264–7); §84 through end (including Addendum), pp. 273–82. (.)
Tuesday, November 24
: Neurath, “Pseudorationalism of Falsification”; Putnam “The ‘Corroboration’ of Theories”; Lakatos, “Popper on Demarcation and Induction,” through end of part I (pp. 241–52). (.)
Thursday, November 26
: No class (Thanksgiving)
Tuesday, December 1
: Kuhn, SSR, ch. 1–5, pp. 1–51. (.)
Thursday, December 3
: Kuhn, SSR, ch. 6–8, pp. 52–91. (.)
Tuesday, December 8
: Kuhn, SSR, ch. 9–10, pp. 92–135. (.)
Thursday, December 10
: Kuhn, SSR, ch. 11–13, pp. 136–73. (.)
Wednesday, December 16
: Final assignment (exam or paper) due.

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