Universität Wien

180212 SE Artefacts and Scientific Reasoning (2020W)

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. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Teaching takes place online as long as the Covid-19 crisis continues

  • Tuesday 13.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 20.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 27.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 03.11. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 10.11. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 17.11. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 24.11. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 01.12. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 15.12. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 12.01. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 19.01. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Tuesday 26.01. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Aims and contents

This is an advanced philosophy seminar on artifacts and their role in science and technology. The course focuses on the different ways in which artifacts are defined and discussed in the contemporary literature (i.e. general philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of technology, cognitive science and design).

The topics studied include:

1. The traditional philosophical definitions of the concept of an artifact (sessions 1 and 2).
2. Mind-independence or dependence of artifacts, intentionality, the natural/artificial divide and the categorization of artifacts (sessions 3 through 6).
3. Artifacts in the philosophy of technology (in particular in the Delft project) (sessions 7 and 8).
4. Artifacts in the context of design (session 9).
5. Artifacts and the material culture of science (sessions 10-11)
6. Overview and examination of the implicit assumptions behind the discussions of artifacts in philosophical and other literature (sessions 12-13)

Methods:

- short lectures by the instructor
- close reading and critical discussion of the literature (concepts, themes, arguments)
- question(s) concerning the reading(s) submitted through Moodle
- chairing or co-chairing the group discussion
- a thesis-oriented essay on a specific theme discussed in the course

Assessment and permitted materials

Active participation (20%), questions on readings (20 %),
(co-)chairing a class (10%), and a thesis-oriented essay (50 %).

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Requirements:
1. Active participation to the seminars: You need to attend to at least 12 classes.
2. Readings and assignments: You have to prepare for the classes well enough to be able to present the basic argument(s) of the readings. Additionally, you have to send a question on the readings to the Moodle dashboard 48 hours before the class.
3. Each student needs to chair, or co-chair, one class. The chair(s) should give a comprehensive overview of the submitted questions, and lead the discussion.
4. A thesis-oriented essay in English on a given topic (2000 words, excluding references). The more specific instructions will be given later.

Examination topics

No examination

Reading list

The readings consist of articles and book chapters that are provided in the Moodle.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 01.10.2020 15:09