Philosophy of Science (PHIL 850)
Instructors: Marc Lange and Matthew Kotzen. This seminar meets on Tuesdays from 1:00 – 3:30 p.m. in Caldwell 208.
This course is a graduate-level survey of some of the important literature on scientific explanation (and related topics) in the years since the landmark 1948 paper by Hempel and Oppenheim (which we will read) rekindled philosophical interest in the subject. No prior familiarity with the topic is presupposed. The aim of the course is to leave students equipped to read virtually any recent paper on the subject or to dive into the past literature at any point. Other authors represented on the syllabus include Salmon, Railton, Scriven, Strevens, Lewis, Lipton, Friedman, Kitcher, Woodward, Hitchcock, Humphreys, Fodor, Sober, Nerlich, van Fraassen, Nagel, Kitcher, Pettit, Jackson, and Putnam.
Marc Lange’s webpage
Matthew Kotzen’s webpage