Philosophy of Science

Science raises several philosophical issues. These include epistemological issues about scientific practices such as theory construction, explanation, confirmation, experimentation, modeling, and measurement. They also include metaphysical issues about causation, laws of nature, reductionism, dispositions, chance, space, and time. Finally, specific sciences—from fundamental physics to the social sciences—raise unique philosophical puzzles. We will examine a small subset of these topics in depth. (Previous course in philosophy or waiver) 3 hrs lect.