PHIL 251.001 – Inductive Logic and the Scientific Method

Instructor: John T. Roberts. This course meets MWF 10:10 – 11:00 a.m. in PE 2066.

Since the dawn of what we now call “modern science” in the 1600s, there have been many proposals (by scientists as well as by philosophers) for understanding what the proper method of science is. We will briefly review that history, and we will examine some contemporary attempts to clarify the methodology of science, making use of the tools of formal logic and probability theory. There will be a little math, but no background beyond high school algebra will be presupposed. The required work will include some short essays as well as some mathematical problem-solving.