SPACE, TIME AND MATTER SPRING 2011 |
|
|
What is this course
about? From the textbooks: A more contemporary view
is that philosophy's role is to serve, not as some ground for the sciences or
as some extension of them, but as their critical observer. The idea here is
that the particular scientific disciplines use concepts and methods. The
relationships of the concepts to one another, although implicit in their use
in science, may fail to be explicitly clear to us. It would then be the job
of philosophy of science to clarify these conceptual relationships. (Sklar, Philosophy of Physics, p. 2) My present endeavor is
rather to present in non-technical language the conceptual revolutions
that the scientific community had to undergo in order to be able to accept
'modern physics'. (Rohrlich, From Paradox to
Reality, p. viii)
Willis, Hulon A Brief Handbook of English Handbook More specifically,
See the schedule with
reading assignments. Are there any unifying
themes? Roughly: "What can
science do for a theory of knowledge, and what can a theory of knowledge do
for science?" For a somewhat longer discussion of the themes, go here. Who is teaching it? Professor: Philip W. Phillips (2121
ESB, 244-2003 e-mail) Teaching assistant: TBA What is the structure
of the course? Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30 PM - 01:50 I will not lecture for 75
or 90 minutes straight. There will be discussions, either initiated by your
questions and comments, or by mine, or both. Discussion section On hold for now. We may
have some later in the semester, as the situation warrants. Homework Usually weekly
assignments. They will be short, 500-750 word (2-3 page), essays.
They will be graded both for content and grammar (this is a composition-II
course) and returned the following week or sooner. Grading of Homework: All
homework will be graded out of a total of 20 points. Both the grammar and the
content will be graded. For the first 3 assignments, grammar will count for
60% (12 points) and the content for 40% (8 points). In the remaining 4
homework assignments, the point distribution will be reversed: 12 points for
content and 8 points for grammar. Note the grading of the grammar will be
strictly quantitative. A single point will be deducted for each grammatical
error including spelling; so please use spell-check. In the first 3
assignments, points will be deducted until 12 errors are found. Beyond that,
no deductions will be made. Hence, there will be no negative scores in
grammar. A grammatical error will be defined as anything that is not in line
with the usage in a standard handbook of English. For example, subject-verb
disagreements, run-on sentences, two sentences joined together by a comma,
misplaced semicolons, non-parallel constructions, misplaced commas, etc. are
all instances of grammatical errors. You should consult your favorite text on
this matter; however, a few include Strunk and
White, Elements of Style and Willis, Elements of English Grammar. Please read
this comment
about written assignments. Exams There will be a final
exam. The time and place of the final exam will be announced later. It will
consist of approximately four essays about the conceptual issues raised
during the semester. Term paper (for students who are interested in
the topics but need only 2 hours credit without Comp II credit, see PWP for
special arrangements to take course without paper requirement) You are to write a
critical essay of about 2500 - 4000 words (10-15 typed pages) on some aspect
of the interpretation of physical theories. The topic should reflect your
interests and make use of your background. You should develop your topic into
a coherent presentation of ideas for which you argue clearly and
convincingly. We do not expect you to do groundbreaking work on the
foundations of science, but you must not merely summarize or restate some
other author's views. The term paper has a
series of required deadlines. See the information page (currently NOT linked) for more details. Also
please refer to the general comments about written assignments. Books
These two books come close
to providing a text. Rohrlich is somewhat more
accessible, but downplays the interesting problems of quantum
interpretations. The
Character of Physical Law,
by R. P. Feynman (a set of brief, entertaining lectures that give a feel for
how the basic principles look to a thoughtful working physicist) Recommended:
All of these books, as
well as others
relevant to the course (currently NOT linked) and useful for the term papers, are on
reserve in the Grangier Library or the Undergraduate library, or both. How will the course be
graded? Homework will contribute
40% of your grade, |
|