Phil of Science Essay Titles
1.
Compare two answers to the ‘demarcation question’ in the philosophy of science.
Reading suggestions:
Inductivism:
A.F. Chalmers, What is this thing called Science, Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4
James Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science, chapters 1, 2
Karl Popper: ;The Problem of Induction’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp 426-431
Popper:
Karl Popper, ‘Science: Conjectures and Refutations’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issue pp 3-11
Karl Popper, Conjectures and refutations: the growth of scientific knowledge. 1989 London: Routledge.
Karl Popper, The Logic of Scientific Discovery 1968, London: Hutchinson
James Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science, Chapter 3.
A. F. Chalmers, What is This Thing Called Science?, 3rd edition, Chapters 5, 6 and 7.
Agassi, Joseph (1991). “Popper's demarcation of science refuted”, Methodology and Science, 24: 1–7.
Kuhn:
Thomas Kuhn, 1996, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press also in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp. 11-19, 86-101, and 102 118.
Ernan McMullin, ‘Rationality and Paradigm Change in Science’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp 119-138
Larry Laudan, ‘Dissecting the Holist Picture of Scientific Change’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp 139 – 169
James Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science, Chapter 4.
A.F. Chalmers, What is This Thing Called Science? 3rd edition, Chapter 8.
Lakatos:
Imre Lakatos, ‘Science and Pseudoscience’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp 20 - 26
Imre Lakatos, ‘Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes’, in I. Lakatos and A. Musgrave (eds.), Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. (Excerpt online here:
Compare two answers to the ‘demarcation question’ in the philosophy of science.
Reading suggestions:
Inductivism:
A.F. Chalmers, What is this thing called Science, Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4
James Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science, chapters 1, 2
Karl Popper: ;The Problem of Induction’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp 426-431
Popper:
Karl Popper, ‘Science: Conjectures and Refutations’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issue pp 3-11
Karl Popper, Conjectures and refutations: the growth of scientific knowledge. 1989 London: Routledge.
Karl Popper, The Logic of Scientific Discovery 1968, London: Hutchinson
James Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science, Chapter 3.
A. F. Chalmers, What is This Thing Called Science?, 3rd edition, Chapters 5, 6 and 7.
Agassi, Joseph (1991). “Popper's demarcation of science refuted”, Methodology and Science, 24: 1–7.
Kuhn:
Thomas Kuhn, 1996, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press also in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp. 11-19, 86-101, and 102 118.
Ernan McMullin, ‘Rationality and Paradigm Change in Science’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp 119-138
Larry Laudan, ‘Dissecting the Holist Picture of Scientific Change’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp 139 – 169
James Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science, Chapter 4.
A.F. Chalmers, What is This Thing Called Science? 3rd edition, Chapter 8.
Lakatos:
Imre Lakatos, ‘Science and Pseudoscience’ in Curd and Cover (eds.), Philosophy of science: the central issues, pp 20 - 26
Imre Lakatos, ‘Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes’, in I. Lakatos and A. Musgrave (eds.), Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. (Excerpt online here: