Review

1
Review

• Readings Lederman, Ayer, Popper, Kuhn and Duhem
• Film The Elegant Universe
• Topics
• Logic and demarcation
• Verifiability (Ayer)
• Falsifiability (Popper and String Theory)
• Paradigms (Kuhn)
• Challenge Duhems holism (to which?)

2
Review

• Terminology (areas of analysis/study)
• Metaphysics
• General definition v. Ayers
• Epistemology
• Value Theory (Aesthetics, Ethics,
• Social/Political Theory)
• Logic the study of inferences/arguments
• Deduction Validity and soundness
• Induction Strong or weak
• Crucial tests (reductio ad absurdum and
  false dichotomies)

3
Review

• What do Ayer and Popper agree about?
• Disagree about?
• What do Popper and Kuhn agree about?
• Disagree about?
• What do Popper and Duhem disagree about?
• What do Kuhn and Duhem agree about?

4
Review

• Demarcation criteria
• What is verifiability and who advocate it?
• What is the difference between practical
  verifiability and conclusive verifiability?
• What is falsifiability and who advocates it?
• What is the difference between falsified
  and
• falsifiable in principle?

5
Review

• Demarcation criteria
• What is normal science and who advocates it as
  a criterion that distinguishes science from
  non-science?
• How does Kuhns account of normal
• science challenge Poppers account of
• science (as opposed to pseudo-science)?
• Does Kuhns account of normal science
• challenge Ayers verifiability criterion?

6
Review

• Demarcation criteria
• What are the implications of Duhems Holism
  for these other accounts?
• For Ayer are individual claims or hypotheses
  verifiable in isolation?
• Is the determination of what to hold as
  verifiable or verified a matter of pure
• logic and/or of pure experimental results or is
  there judgment and/or choice involved?

7
Review

• Demarcation criteria
• What are the implications of Duhems Holism
  for these other accounts?
• For Popper are individual claims or
  hypotheses falsifiable in isolation?
• Is the determination of what to hold false a
  matter of pure logic and/or of pure
• experimental results or is there
  judgment and/or choice involved?

8
Review

• Demarcation criteria?
• What are the implications of holism?
• For Ayer are individual claims or hypotheses
  verifiable in isolation?
• Is the determination of what to
  hold verified a matter of pure logic and/or of
  pure experimental results or is there
• judgment and/or choice involved?

9
Review

• Demarcation criteria?
• What are the implications of holism?
• For Kuhn Does holism help to explain
• the ways in which scientists hold onto a
• paradigm or does it raise critical questions
  about the Kuhnian thesis that
• in normal science, scientists dont question
  the paradigm when faced with apparent
  anomalies/falsifications?

10
Review

• Cases
• The ancient Greeks (Thales et al and Democritus)
• The Copernican Revolution
• Darwins theory of natural selection
• Freudian theory and Adlerian psychology and
  Marxism
• Einsteins account of gravity v. Newtons
• Fermilab and sub-atomic particles
• Quantum Theory
• String Theory
• Planetary misbehavior