Universität Wien

180192 SE Pluralism, Perspectivism, Relativism in the Philosophy of Science (2023S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Please note that the language of the course is English.

Tuesday 07.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 14.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 21.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 28.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 18.04. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 25.04. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 02.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 09.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 16.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 23.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 06.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 13.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 20.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday 27.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This course works towards a critical understanding of pluralism, perspectivism, and relativism in philosophy of science. The texts central to the discussion are from Fleck, Kuhn, Hacking, Longino, Chang, Ashton and Massimi. Important educational goals are competences in the interpretation, analysis, critique and oral as well as written presentation of philosophical arguments. These contents and competences are taught by way of seminar discussions and regular feedback.

Assessment and permitted materials

Evaluation of the participation in discussions (20% of the overall mark), of the prepared and uploaded questions (20%) as well as the essay (of about 20 pages, Font 12, Times New Roman) (60%)

By registering for this course you agree that the automated plagiarism software Turnitin will check all of your written work for this course.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Regular attendance (not more than once without a doctor's note); punctual attendance; care (in reading the work of other and regarding one's own presentation); argumentative engagement with others' ideas; regular uploading of questions (at least 10 times) -- Independent essay on one of the topics of the course.

The essay should discuss one of the questions raised in the seminar, and it should be based primarily on the literature discussed in class. It could be, e.g., a critique of one of the positions introduxzced, or an attempt to "decide" one of the debates covered in the seminar.

The overall mark consists of three components:

Mark for the essay: 60% i.e. 60 points
Mark for the questions/comments: 20% i.e. 20 points
Mark for participation in classroom discussion: 20% i.e. 20 points

Your need at least 40 points to complete the course.
All components have to be delivered for there to be a final mark.

Scale for the marks:
1: 85-100 points
2: 70-84 points
3: 55-69 points
4: 40-54 points
5: 0-39 points

Examination topics

There is no final exam.

Reading list

Reading List

(1) Ludwik Fleck, “The problem of epistemology” (1936), in R. S. Cohen and T. Schnelle (eds.), Cognition and Fact: Materials on Ludwik Fleck, Dordrecht: Reidel, 1986, 79-112.

(2) Ludwik Fleck, “To look, to see, to know” (1947), in R. S. Cohen and T. Schnelle (eds.), Cognition and Fact: Materials on Ludwik Fleck, Dordrecht: Reidel, 1986, 129-153.

(3) Thomas Kuhn, “The Presence of Past Science (The Shearman Memorial Lectures), Lecture I: Regaining the Past” (1987), in Thomas Kuhn, The Last Writings of Thomas S. Kuhn: Incommensurability in Science, edited by B. Mladenović, Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 2022, 23-49.

(4) Thomas Kuhn, “The Presence of Past Science (The Shearman Memorial Lectures), Lecture II: Portraying the Past” and “Lecture III: Embodying the Past”, (1987), in Thomas Kuhn, The Last Writings of Thomas S. Kuhn: Incommensurability in Science, edited by B. Mladenović, Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 2022, 50-89.

(5) Ian Hacking, “The Self-Vindication of the Laboratory Sciences”, in A. Pickering (ed.), Science as Practice and Culture, Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 1992, 29-64.

(6) Helen Longino, “Theoretical Pluralism and the Scientific Study of Behavior,” in S. H. Kellert, H. E. Longino, C. K. Waters (eds.), Scientific Pluralism, Minneapolis: Minnesota Press, 2006, 102-131.

(7) Carla Fehr, “Explanations of the Evolution of Sex: A Plurality of Local Mechanisms,” in S. H. Kellert, H. E. Longino, C. K. Waters (eds.), Scientific Pluralism, Minneapolis: Minnesota Press, 2006, 167-189.

(8) Hasok Chang, “Realism”, in H. Chang, Realism for Realistic People: A New Pragmatist Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University Press, 2022, 204-251.

(9) Michela Massimi, “The perspectival nature of scientific representation”, in M. Massimi, Perspectival Realism, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, 31-48.

(10) Michela Massimi, “Pluralism and perspectivism”, in M. Massimi, Perspectival Realism, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, 49-72.

(11) Michela Massimi, “Multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism in science”, in M. Massimi, Perspectival Realism, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, 332-368.

(12) Natalie Ashton, “Scientific Perspectives, Feminist Standpoints, and Non-Silly Relativism”, in A.-M. Crețu and M. Massimi (eds.), Knowledge from a Human Point of View, Springer Open, 2020, 71-86; and H. Chang, “Relativism, Perspectivism and Pluralism”, in M. Kusch (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Relativism, London: Routledge, 398-406.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Tu 14.03.2023 11:29