Spring, 2009
BIOL 419 or RLGN 419
Philosophy of Science
Instructors: Drs. Chadwick and Willis
Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday
Course Description: A study of the philosophies and methodologies of science. Science is a method of inquiry whose goal is to obtain knowledge about the natural world through experimentation. The philosophy of science is a discipline that deals with the epistemology of science itself. The discipline of philosophy of science examines science’s nature: its constituent methods and methodologies, its assumptions and limitations. Our study includes a review of the history of scientific and religious thought, their interactions and the role each has played in the development of modern theories of origin.
Textbooks: Brand. Faith, Reason, and
Earth History.
Objectives: This course is intended to acquaint the student with the modern philosophies of science and their applications and misapplications to problems of both a scientific nature and those that are outside the bounds of science. The student will become familiar with the literature in science and the philosophy and history of science, as well as with those figures who play a prominent role in these fields. It is expected that the student will come away from the class with a more mature mindset towards science. Issues on the frontiers and fringes of science will be confronted and this confrontation will encourage students to develop attitudes about problems they may have heretofore avoided.
General Requirements and Grading System:
1. Attendance and Participation: Attendance and active classroom participation will be expected. Although the grading of participation can be quite subjective, there are clear objective criteria for distinguishing between absent, present, but silent, present and participating solely for credit, and present and participating because, having thought through the issues, you have creative insights to share. Unnecessary absence is discouraged. It is almost impossible to experience philosophy from the reading of someone else's notes. Participation in class discussion is required. Grading will be on a point basis Attendance and Participation - 10%.
2.
Exams: Two unit exams and a final will be given. The final will
include a third unit exam and a comprehensive section covering the entire
semester. These exams cover the factual material presented in class and in the
assigned readings over that unit. Conceptual material is by its nature
cumulative and some questions of this sort will require integration of
conceptual material covered in previous units. Example: What is truth?
3. Reading Project: A project will be required from every student taking this class for credit. Grammar and syntax as well as spelling must be corrected and correct. This may entail rewriting until you have it right! This project will consist of reading books and articles from the Reading List not otherwise assigned or other materials approved in advance on a weekly basis at the following rate - Journals 30 pages or books 50 pages per week. A two page analysis giving the authors and titles and pages read and a description of what you learned from the reading (not a summary but a freewheeling interaction with the subject) must be turned in on Tuesday of each week. You may be quizzed over this outside reading material from time to time. The first reading report is due with lecture 3. Deduct 50% if late. Note that the Reading List includes a wide spectrum of choices, but is not intended to limit reading, only to give examples of the kinds of materials that are acceptable. You may scout in the appropriate sections of the library for something that interests you in this area. No more than two successive readings may be done from a single source. Please check the material to be read out of the library using your own library card. If you have obtained the book or journals elsewhere, please indicate that on the reading report.
Missing a deadline will lower your final grade by one letter for each deadline missed. No exceptions Reading Project - 20%
GRADING
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Grading System: |
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Letter Grades: |
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A. |
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Major tests |
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40% |
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A=90% and above |
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A. |
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Final exam |
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30% |
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B=80% and above |
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B. |
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Reading Project |
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20% |
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C=70% and above |
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C. |
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Attendance and |
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D=55% and above |
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participation |
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10% |
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F=below 55% |
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100% |
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Severe Weather Protocol
In the rare event of severe weather, an announcement will be made between
9:00 and 10:30 p.m. indicating that classes will be delayed or cancelled - or
that the university will be open as usual on the following day. If it is
not determined until early morning that classes must be delayed or cancelled,
an announcement will be made by 6:00 a.m. You may check the following for
official delay or closing announcements: 88.3 FM KJCR, NBC 5
KXAS TV, or the University switchboard operator at
Lecture Schedule and
Lecture
Jan 6 - What is Philosophy? Document 1 Brand Fwd Preface
Jan 8 - The Nature of Philosophical Thought
Jan 13 - What is Science? Document 2 Brand 1
Jan 15 - The Nature of Scientific Thought Brand 2 Johnsn 1,2
Jan 20 - What is Religion?
Jan 22 - The Nature of Religious Thought Brand 6
Jan 27 - Limitations of Science Document 3
Jan 29 - History of Science-the Early Period Document 4 Brand 3
Feb 3 - History of Science-the Later Period Johnsn 5, 6
Feb 5 - Development of the Theory of Evolution - Roots Johnon 7, 8
Feb 10 - Development of the Theory of Evolution - Results Document 5
Feb 12 - Exam I
Section II Perspectives on Evolution, Earth History, and Geology and the Geology Minicourse
Feb 17 - Perspectives on Philosophy and Theology
Feb 19 - Perspectives on Science Johnson 3, 4
Feb 24 - Evolution and Speciation Document 6 Brand 8
Feb 26 - Micro- and Macroevolution Document 7 Brand 9
Mar 3 - Thomas Kuhn and a Revolutionary View of Science Document 8 Brand 4
Mar 5 - Geology Minicourse: Rocks and Minerals Brand 5
Mar 10 - Spring Break
Mar 12 - Spring Break
Mar 17 - Geology Minicourse: Sediment and Fossils Document 9 Johnson balance
Mar 19 - Origin of Life Document 10 Brand 7, 11
Mar 24 - Exam II
Section III. Scientific Perspectives on the Nature of Evidence and Earth History.
Mar 26 - Scientific Evidences and the C-E Controversy I Document 11 Brand 12
Mar 31 - Scientific Evidences and the C-E Controversy II Document 12 Brand 15
Apr 2 - Alternatives in Earth History: Biblical Perspectives Brand 13
Apr 7 - The Scriptural Account and Source Criticism Brand 5
Apr 9 - The origin of man Document 13 Brand 12
Apr 14 - Evidences II - Dimensionality and Complexity Document 14 Brand 14
Apr 16 - The Rocks Cry Out Brand 16
Apr 21 - Philosophy, Science and Religion Brand 17
Apr 23 - Conclusions
Final Exam will be in the location and at the time announced in the examination schedule
The following list of reading materials is only suggestive of the types of books
acceptable for the reading portion of this class.
Reading List
Author(s) Title Call#
Dembski,
William A.
Intelligent design : the bridge between science & theology
BL240.2 .D46 1999
Nash, Ronald
H.
Worldviews in conflict : choosing Christianity in a world of ideas
BT1102 .N37
1992
Aleksander,
Igor.
Designing intelligent systems : an introduction.
Q335 A442 1984
Haken,
H.
Synergetics : an introduction : nonequilibrium phase transitions aQ295 H35 1977
Waddington,
Conrad Hal, Tools for
thought : how to understand and apply the latest scientiQ295 W3 1977b
Iberall,
Arthur S.
Toward a general science of viable systems
Q295 I24 1972
Barrow, John
D.
The anthropic cosmological
principle
BD511 B34 1986
Bunge, Mario
Augusto
Causality and modern
science.
BD541 B85
1979
Moreland,
James
Porter
Christianity and the nature of
science.
BL240.2 M645 1989
Pagels,
Heinz
R.
The cosmic code : quantum physics as the language of nature.
QC174.13 P33 1982
Cavalieri,
Liebe
F
The double-edged helix : science in the real
world.
Q175 C435 1981
LeGrand,
Homer Eugene
Drifting continents and shifting
theories.
QE511.5 L44 1988
Knorr-Cetina,
K.
(Karin)
Epistemic cultures : how the sciences make knowledge
Q175.32.K45 K57 1999
Sokal, Alan
D.
Fashionable nonsense : postmodern intellectuals' abuse of scieQ175 .S3695 1998
Hummel,
Charles
E.
The Galileo connection : resolving conflicts betw. science & the Q125.2 H86
1986
Ken Wilber
(ed.)
The Holographic paradigm and other paradoxes
Q175
H773 1982
Perutz, Max
F.
I wish I'd made you angry earlier : essays on science, scientists, eQ175 .P386
1998
Kellert, Stephen
H.
In the wake of chaos : unpredictable order in dynamical
systems. Q172.5
C45K45 1993
Medawar, P.
B. The
limits of
science
Q175 M433 1984
Butterfield,
Herbert,
Sir
The origins of modern science:
1300-1800.
Q125 B97 1957
Stent,
Gunther Siegmund, Paradoxes of
progress
Q175.5 S74 1978
Bridges,
Horace
James
Taking the name of science in
vain.
B53 B8 1969
Kuhn, Thomas
S.
The structure of scientific
revolutions
Q175 K95 1970
Pennock,
Robert
T
Tower of Babel : the evidence against the new
creationism QH366.2 .P428
1999
Chargaff,
Erwin.
Voices in the labyrinth : nature, man, and
science
Q175.5 C49 1977
Greene, John
C
Science, ideology, and world view : essays in the history of evol QH331 G727
1981
White,
Michael
J.
The continuous and the discrete : ancient physical theories from
Q175 W569
1992
NABT
A compendium of information on the theory of evolution and the
QH362 N3C6 1977
Kitcher,
Philip
Abusing science : the case against creationism
QH371 K57 1982
Mae Ho, P T.
Saunders eds. Beyond neo-Darwinism : an
introduction to the new evolutionary QH366.2 B486 1984
Peth,
Howard
Blind faith : evolution exposed.
BL293 P4B5 1990
Dawkins,
Richard
The blind
watchmaker.
QH366.2 D37 1987
Huggett,
Richard
J.
Catastrophism : systems of earth
history.
QE506 H9 1990
Horigan,
James
E
Chance or
design?
BD511 H67
Darwin,
Charles
Charles Darwin's notebooks, 1836-1844 : geology, transmutati QH365
Z9B37 1987
Wysong, R.
L.
The creation-evolution controversy (implications, methodology
QH325 W95 1976
Kofahl,
Robert
E.
The creation explanation : a scientific alternative to
evolution BS651 K63
Baker,
Alonza
Lafayette
Creation - Not
Evolution
BL263 B3C7
Zimmerman,
Paul
Albert
Macbeth,
Marsh, Frank
Lewis
Evolution, creation and
science
BL263 .M416
Marsh, Frank
Lewis
Evolution or special
creation?
BL263M417
Eldredge,
Price,
George
McCready
Genesis
vindicated.
BL240 P74G4
Nichol,
Francis
David
God's challenge to modern apostasy : a study of the three angels'BX6154 N53
Austin,
Steven
A.
Utt, Richard
H
Creation : nature's designs and
designer BL262
C742
Heinze,
Thomas
F.
The creation vs. evolution
handbook.
BS659 H4 1972
Numbers,
Ronald
L.
The
creationists.
BS651 N85 1992
Gentry,
Robert
V.
Creation's tiny
mystery.
QE 462 .G7G35 1986
Gilkey,
Langdon
Brown
Creationism on trial : evolution and God at
Young, Davis
A.
Creation and the flood : an alternative to flood geology and theistic BS657 Y68
Coffin,
Harold
G.
Creation; accident or
design?
BS 650 .C6C7 1969
Rachels,
James,
Created from animals : the moral implications of
Darwinism. B818 R32 1990
Pun, Pattle
P.
T.
Evolution : nature and Scripture in conflict?
BS659 P86 1982
Patterson,
Colin Evolution
QH366.2 .P37 1978
Denton,
Michael.
Evolution : a theory in
crisis
QH371 D46 1986
Davidheiser,
Spetner, Lee
M.
Not By
Chance.
Judaica Press 1998.
Coffin,
Harold
G.
Origin by
design
BS651 .C585 1983
Arthur,
Wallace
The origin of animal body plans : a study in evolutionary developQH 491 A77
1997
Shapiro,
Robert
Origins : a skeptic's guide to the creation of life on
earth
QH325 S47 1986
Dyson,
Freeman
J.
Origins of
life
QH325 .D88 1999
Miller,
Stanley
L.
The origins of life on the
earth
QH325 M55 1974
Roth, Ariel
A
Origins, Linking Science and Scripture
(in library)
Wells,
Jonathan
Icons of
Evolution
(in library)
Behe,
Michael