Texts in the bookstore:

Rudolph Carnap, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (Dover Publ., 1995).

Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago Univ. Pr., 1996).

Readings on JSTOR:

Daniel C. Dennett, In Darwin's Wake, Where Am I? Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association, vol. 75 (2001), pp. 13-30—on JSTOR

N. David Mermin, Quantum Mysteries for Anyone, The Journal of Philosophy, vol. 78, (1981), pp. 397-408—on JSTOR

Michael Redhead, The Nature of Reality, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science vol. 40 (1989), pp. 429-441—on JSTOR

Alex Rosenberg, Reductionism in a Historical Science, Philosophy of Science, vol. 68 (2001), pp. 135-163—on JSTOR

Michael Ruse, Biological Species: Natural Kinds, Individuals, or What? The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, vol. 38 (1987), pp. 225-242—on JSTOR

S. S. Stevens, On the Theory of Scales of Measurement, Science, n.s. vol. 103 (1946), pp. 677-680—on JSTOR

Requirements: (1) Two short papers (the first paper c. 3 pp. and the second paper 4-5 pp.) on topics arising from the texts you read; in both cases I will suggest topics but you will have substantial freedom of choice. (2) A third paper (6-8 pp.) developing your own views on a topic related to what you have read. (3) A final essay, comparable in length to a short paper but written during the final exam period on a topic arising from the final group of texts (again with substantial freedom of choice). (4) Regular, prepared, and active participation in class (including completion of ungraded weekly writing assignments). Your final grade will be based on these in the following way: 15%, 20%, and 30% for the papers, 15% for the final essay, and 20% for class participation.

Attendance and due dates: As part of my evaluation of your participation, I will be keeping a record of your attendance. You will be automatically excused if you notify me in advance that you will miss a class (e-mail or voice-mail messages are fine). After the fact, you will be excused if you give me a good reason or a dean's excuse. The brief writing assignments are due once each week. Due dates for the others are subject to negotiation. I will set a default due date for the class and but I am willing to set individual due dates (within reason) for those who find that inconvenient. My policy on missed deadlines is similar to that on missed classes: I'll re-negotiate the deadline (again within reason) if I hear in advance but after the fact I'll expect an excuse. Unexcused missed deadlines will have an effect on your participation grade.