Newly Assigned Readings:

• May 5 - 7, Kitcher [72].
• April 28 - 30, Forster Chapter 1, Popper [68].

All Assigned Readings: 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 69, 72.

Notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Downloadable Course Material

• Review Questions
• Notes on Probability and Decision
• Simplicity
• Curve-fitting
• The Whewell-Mill Debate
• Suggested Essay Topics
• Bell's argument against Einstein, and the breakdown of causal explanation in quantum mechanics (PDF)
• Guide to Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions
• Glossary of common terms in philosophy of science.
• Detailed Course Description (RTF) (PDF)

Book in Progress

• Chapter 1: A Biased Introduction to Philosophy of Science (PDF)
• Chapter 2: Planetary Astronomy: Ptolemy and Copernicus (PDF)
• Chapter 3: Planetary Astronomy: Kepler, Galileo and Newton (PDF)
• Chapter 4: The Problem of Prediction (PDF)
• Chapter 5: Simplicity (PDF)

Webpage Links

• Thinking about Science.   An online philosophy course at Monash University.
• Marilyn is Wrong!  This page discusses many of Marilyn vos Savant's puzzles and solutions including the Monty Hall problem.
• Kepler's Laws with Animation
• Kepler's Laws with Orbit Simulators
• Home Planet: Planetarium freeware used in class (Windows only)

Web Searches

• Do your own internet searches. If you have your own computer, I recommend that you download and install WebFerret, which will access many internet search engines simultaneously. This is freeware.

• History of planetary astronomy from Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler to Newton
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Yahoo! - Science
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

General Philosophy Links:

• Philosophy in Cyberspace
• Episteme Links

Course Requirements:

• Attendance at lectures and discussions
• Assignments (70%)
• Final Exam (30%)

Course Texts:

• Text: Cohen's Birth of a New Physics. At the University Book Store
• Readings: At the Social Sciences Copy Center, and on reserve at the College Library