PHL2199

Winter Session 2017

Seminar in Philosophy of Science: Scientific Realism and Natural Metaphysics


This course will reexamine the now somewhat dormant Scientific Realism debate with the aim of considering how scientific anti-realism would or might impact the project of natural metaphysics (i.e. the project of providing a philosophical undertanding of the nature of reality). It is quite widely held, especially amongst naturalistically inclined philosopher of science and mind that scientific investigation and only scientific investigation will succeed at delineating the fundamental nature of reality. But if scientific realism is questioned, then the epistemic hegemony of basic physical science will be threatened. This course wonders if this threat is real and considers some alternative approaches to natural metaphysics.


Special Notices

Note: Galen Strawson will attend on April 6; class will begin at 10am.

Instructor

Bill Seager
Office: JHB 510
E-mail: Bill Seager
Office Hrs: by appointment.

Requirements

This is a seminar course and students will be expected to present two seminars (accompanied by a short paper of approximately 1000 words). At the end of term, a final paper will be due (of between three and four thousand words). Seminar topics will be arranged by mutual agreement, so please let me know which readings strike your fancy and I will try to co-ordinate your requests.



Course Schedule

Jan. 12 Introductory Meeting, No Reading. No seminar scheduled.
Jan. 19 Hempel ‘The Theoretician's Dilemma ’, §§1-6. No seminar scheduled.
Jan. 26 Hempel ‘The Theoretician's Dilemma’, §§7-end. Atoosa Kasirzadeh.
Feb. 2 Maxwell ‘The Ontological Status of Theoretical Entities’ Gary Graham and Nir Av-Gay.
Feb. 9 van Fraassen The Scientific Image, chs. 1-2.5 Atoosa Kasirzadeh (ch. 1).
Feb. 16 van Fraassen The Scientific Image, chs. 2.5-3 Daniel Munro (end of ch. 2); Markus Alliksaar (ch. 3); Eamon Darnell (ch. 3).
Mar. 2 Laudan ‘A Confutation of Scientific Realism’ Aaron Kenna.
Mar. 9 Cartwright The Dappled World, Introduction and ch. 1. Nir Av-Gay; Aaron Lepp.
Mar. 16 Cartwright The Dappled World, Chs. 2 and 3. Daniel Munro (ch. 2); Eamon Darnell (ch. 3).
Mar. 23 Newman ‘Mr. Russell's Causal Theory of Perception’ and Demopoulos and Friedman ‘Bertrand Russell's The Analysis of Matter: Its Historical Context and Contemporary Interest’. Aaron Kenna (Newman); Aaron Lepp (Demopoulos and Friedman).
Mar. 30 French and Ladyman ‘In Defence of Ontic Structural Realism’ and van Fraassen ‘Structuralism(s) about Science: Some Common Problems’. Amogha Sahu (French and Ladyman); Markus Alliksaar (Van Fraassen).
Apr. 6 Strawson ‘Real Materialism’. Amogha Sahu; Gary Graham.



Philosophy Hall (PO102), University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C1A4

Office: 103 Philosophy Hall (PO102)       Phone: 416-208-2976