Week 1

Week 1

Mon. 1/19

Wed. 1/21

Fri. 1/23

Course Introduction: Logical Positivism and the Philosophy of Science.
The role of Science in Human life.

Science and Mathematics. Thales, Pythagoras, and the discovery of form. "All is number." Diggins Chapters 8-9, 11-12

Week 2

Mon. 1/26	Wed. 1/28	Fri. 1/30
The Golden Mean. Diggins Ch. 15	The construction of the world out of numbers. Plato's Timaeus. Diggins Ch. 13.	The discovery of the Irrationals. Continuity in Ancient Mathematics, Diggins Ch. 14. Ch 16.

Week 3

Mon. 2/2	Wed. 2/4	Fri. 2/6
Infinity in Ancient and Modern Science. "Aristotle on Zeno's paradoxes" or a short summary	"Number" "Infinity" mini-texts. The paradoxes of Infinity. Cantor's redefinition of Infinity and the concept of number.	Cantor's redefinition of Infinity and the concept of number. "Transfinite Numbers", Rudy Rucker. The infinitesimal Calculus.

Week 4

Mon. 2/9

Wed. 2/11

Fri. 2/13

Ancient Astronomy and the Phenomena to be dealt with. Eratosthenes measures the Globe, Diggins, Ch 17.

Ptolemaic Astronomy. History of Physics Lectures, Sections 3, 4, 5, 8 required, especially 3*.

Ptolemaic Astronomy.
Ptolemaic Astronomy. History of Physics Lectures, Sections 3, 4, 5, 8 required, especially 3*.

Copernican Astronomy. Copernicus's Commentariolus. Assignment 1 Due

Week 5

Mon. 2/16

Wed. 2/18

Fri. 2/20

Galileo and the Scientific Revolution. Galileo "Two Kinds of Properties ",
"The View of Nature of the Scientific Revolution".

The Principle of Relativity.

Galileo’s Principle of Relativity

Newton's laws of Motion. Absolute Space and Time. Selections from Newton’s "Scholium on Absolute Space" .

Week 6

Mon. 2/23

Wed. 2/25

Fri. 2/27

EXAM 1

Paradigms and Normal Science. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Ch. 1-2 Postscript

Scientific Revolutions

Kuhn Ch. 3-6

Introduction to Logical Positivism. "Logical Empiricism", "A short summary of Logical Positivism

March 1-March 5: MID-SEMESTER BREAK

Week 7

Mon. 3/8

Wed. 3/10

Fri. 3/12

Scientific Discovery. Kuhn Ch.7-9.

Theories and World Views. Kuhn, Ch. 10-11

Progress through Revolutions. Kuhn, Ch. 12-14

Week 8

Mon. 3/15

Wed. 3/17

Fri. 3/19

Contemporary issues in Realism and Anti-Realism. Richard Rorty, "Introduction to "The Consequences of Pragmatism"*

The Causal theory of Reference. Lyle Zynda, "Putnam's Causal Theory of Reference".

Responses to anti-realism. Van Fraassen, "The Manifest Image and the Scientific Image"*

The Science Wars.

Daniel Dennett, “Faith in Truth” Thomas Nagel, “The Sleep of Reason””

Week 9

Mon. 3/22

Wed. 3/24

Fri. 3/26

Special Relativity, Albert Einstein “Relativity”

Special Relativity. Space-Time diagrams “Relativity Tutorial”

General Relativity

Spacetime Wrinkles

Week 10

Mon. 3/29

Wed. 3/311

Fri. 4/2

Quantum Mechanics.
"Quantum Behavior", John Horgan "Scroedinger's Cation".

Assignment 2 Due

Realism and Quantum Mechanics. Bell’s Theorem.

Gary Felder “Spooky Action at a Distance”

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

“Explaining the very Improbable”

“Accumulating Small Change”

Week 11

Mon. 4/5

Wed. 4/7

Fri. 4/9

Evolution as Algorithm.

Dennett, Selections

Dennett ,Freedom Evolves Ch. 2, Ch3, pp. 63-83.

EASTER RECESS.

Week 12

Mon. 4/12

Wed. 4/14

Fri. 4/16

EASTER RECESS.

Dennett ,Freedom Evolves Ch. 4.

Assignment 3 Due

Dennett ,Freedom Evolves Ch. 5-6.

Week 13

Mon. 4/190

Wed. 4/21

Fri. 4/23

Dennett ,Freedom Evolves Ch. 8, 10.

Time and Contingency in Biology. Gould, Times Arrow, Time's Cycle, Chapter 1, Chapter 2: (skip 51-57),

Gould, Times Arrow, Time's Cycle, Ch. 5.

Week 14

Mon. 4/26

Wed. 4/28

Fri. 4/30

The Game of Life and The nature of Science.
Assignment 4 Due

Science, Time, and Human Consciousness. Hoeg, Borderliners, pp. 1-158.

Technology, Alienation, and Civilization. Hoeg, pp. 158-end.

FINAL EXAM: Wednesday, May12, 1:00PM