PHIL 154.001 – Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Instructor: Min Tang. This course meets MWF 10:10 – 11:00 a.m. in CW 103.

What counts as well-being? How do we conceptualize and measure well-being? What is evidence-based policy and how much is it to be encouraged? What is the social impact of climate change? What is the philosophical rationale for collaborative practice in Archaeology? What is objectivity in social science? How can we get objectivity in social science? What makes a good measurement of a social concept?

In this course, we will explore a wide range of important and interesting topics at the forefront of debate in philosophy of social science, including but not limited to social well-being, evidence-based policy, climate change, community archaeology, objectivity, and measurement. The course is intended both for students with interests in philosophy and those planning to concentrate on the social science. It presupposes no particular background in either domain.