Philosophy of science, specialization

Basic studies in philosophy, Philosophy of Science (FILK-227)

The purpose of the study module is to deepen the students’ understanding of central topics related to philosophy of science. Students are recommended to choose topics that help them write their Master's thesis.

Kirjallisuus sovitaan aina opettajan kanssa. Alla esimerkkejä mahdollisista aihepiireistä ja kirjoista. Huomaa että yhteiskuntatieteen filosofialle ja psykologian/kognitiotieteen filosofialle on opintojaksot erillisillä koodeilla.

Selittäminen, kausaatio, lait:

Woodward 2003: Making Things Happen. A theory of causal explanation (5 op).
Salmon 1989: Four Decades of Scientific Explanation (2op)
Steel 2008: Across the Boundaries: Extrapolation in biology and social science (2op)
Bechtel & Richardson 2010: Discovering Complexity: Decomposition and localization as strategies in scientific research (3 op)
Strevens 2008: Depth. An account of scientific explanation (5 op).
Lange 2009: Laws and Lawmakers: Science, metaphysics, and the laws of nature (3 op)
van Fraassen 1989: Laws and Symmetry (4 op).

Tieteellinen realismi:

Psillos 1999: Scientific Realism (3 op)
Niiniluoto 1999: Critical Scientific Realism (3 op)
Ladyman & Ross 2007: Every Thing Must Go (4 op)
Hacking 1983: Representing and Intervening (3 op)
Giere 2006: Scientific Perspectivism (3 op)

Tiede, arvot, objektiivisuus:

Longino 1990: Science as Social Knowledge: Values and objectivity in scientific inquiry (3 op)
Douglas 2009: Science, Policy and the Value-free Ideal (2 op)
Solomon 2001: Social Empiricism (2 op)

Mallintaminen tieteessä:

Weisberg 2013: Simulation and Similarity (2 op)
Humphreys 2004: Extending Ourselves: Computational science, empiricism and scientific method (2 op).

Tilastolliset menetelmät ja tieteenfilosofia:

Mayo 1996: Error and the Growth of Knowledge (4 op)
Howson and Urbach 1989: Scientific reasoning: the Bayesian approach (4 op)

Biologian filosofia:

Sterelny & Griffiths 1999, Sex and Death: An Introduction to Philosophy of Biology. (4 op)
Godfrey-Smith, P. 2014, Philosophy of Biology. (2 op)
Ayala & Arp 2009, Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology. (5 op)
Griffiths & Stotz 2013, Genetics and Philosophy: An Introduction. (3 op)
Ylikoski & Kokkonen 2009, Evoluutio ja ihmisluonto. Gaudeamus. (4 op)

Neurotieteen filosofia:

Craver 2007: Explaining the Brain: Mechanisms and the mosaic unity of neuroscience (3 op)

Tiede sosiokognitiivisena järjestelmänä:

Carruthers, Stich, Siegal 2002: The Cognitive Basis of Science (4 op)
Nersessian 2008: Creating Scientific Concepts (2 op)
Boyer-Kassem, Mayo-Wilson, Weisberg 2017: Scientific Collaboration and Collective Knowledge: New essays (2 op)
Hull 1988: Science as a Process (5 op).

Lecture course, seminar or Examinarium exam.

If the resources allow the course can be part of open university studies. The method of completion may differ from the program in the case of open university studies.

The course may cover topics such as the objectives of science (truth, information and pragmatic values), the scientific method, scientific explanation (epistemic model, unification, interrogative model, as well as mechanistic models), causation (what constitutes causation, singular causation, manipulative theories of causation), theories, models and mechanisms, the reduction of concepts, laws and mechanisms, scientific invention and verification, theory choice and empirical evidence, and data growth. The course will examine these topics in relation to theories and test results in natural sciences. Other topics to be covered may include interdisciplinarity and the differences between scientific disciplines: what consilience is and how the differences between scientific disciplines can be seen, e.g., as differing explanatory ideals.

Assessment is carried out on a scale of 0 to 5.