Scientific Thought II

Schedule and Lecture Notes

Spring 2010

Date	What's on	Quizzes
Jan 20	Lecture 1: Hume on induction
22	Lecture 2: Popper's deductive method
25	Lecture 3: Popper on auxiliary hypotheses
27	Lecture 4: Kuhn on anomalies	Quiz 1
29	Lecture 5: Laplace on probability
Feb 1	Lecture 6: Keynes's concept of probability
3	Lecture 7: Keynes on the principle of indifference
5	Lecture 8: Keynes's response to the contradictions	Quiz 2
8	Lecture 9: Maher on inductive probability
10	Lecture 10: Maher on justification of induction
12	Lecture 11: Maher on physical probability
15	Lecture 12: Maher on the law of likelihood	Quiz 3
17	Review (discussion of the questions for exam 1)
19	Exam 1
22	No class
24	Lecture 13: Black's theory of lime
26	Lecture 14: Black's explanation of known facts
Mar 1	Lecture 15: Meyer's theory of lime; Black's experiments
3	Lecture 16: Black, Meyer, and the law of likelihood	Quiz 4
5	Lecture 17: Darwin on artificial and natural selection
8	Lecture 18: Darwin on the history of life
10	Lecture 19: Darwin on geographic distribution of species
12	Lecture 20: Darwin on similarities between species	Quiz 5
15	Lecture 21: Einstein's definitions of position and time
17	Lecture 22: Einstein's two principles
19	Lecture 23: Einstein on the relativity of length and time
29	Lecture 24: Einstein on general relativity	Quiz 6
31	Review (discussion of the questions for exam 2)
Apr 2	Exam 2
5	No class
7	Lecture 25: Hume on causation
9	Lecture 26: Mill on laws and causes
12	Lecture 27: Lange on previous accounts of laws
14	Lecture 28: Lange on counterfactuals and laws	Quiz 7
16	Lecture 29: Woodward on manipulation and causation
19	Lecture 30: Woodward on total and direct causes
21	Lecture 31: Woodward on actual causes
23	Lecture 32: Woodward on interventions and counterfactuals	Quiz 8
26	Lecture 33: Carnap on theory and observation
28	Lecture 34: Carnap on the empirical content of theories
30	Lecture 35: Lewis on theoretical terms and realizations
May 3	Lecture 36: Lewis's definition of theoretical terms	Quiz 9
5	Review (discussion of the questions for exam 3)
12	Exam 3 at 1:30pm in the usual classroom