Philosophy

Outlines of Philosophy of Science. The course aims to provide an introduction to the general philosophy of science, covering both the conceptual and historical aspects. First, some of the elements that characterize the empiricist and positivist traditions will be briefly summarized, and some of the salient moments of the crisis of foundations at the end of the nineteenth century will be retraced. These notes will allow us to properly frame the establishment of the philosophy of science as an autonomous academic discipline in the twentieth century. We will then focus mainly on the period from the Twenties to the Seventies of the twentieth century. With reference to this period, we will outline the profiles of the major philosophers who contributed to the development of the discipline; illustrate the main debates that characterized it; and introduce and clarify the fundamental concepts of the discipline. Particular attention will be given to the reading and commentary of some classic texts of the philosophy of science.

General knowledge of the history of philosophy.

Handbooks: 1. Castellani, E., Morganti, M. (2019). La filosofia della scienza. Bologna, il Mulino (capp. 3-4). 2. Godfrey-Smith, P. (2022). Teoria e realtà. Milano, Raffaello Cortina Editore (capp.: 1-7). Texts: 3. Carnap, R. (1969). Il superamento della metafisica mediante l’analisi logica del linguaggio. In: A. Pasquinelli (a cura di), Il neoempirismo, Torino, UTET, pp. 504-532. 4. Feyerabend, P. (2003). Contro il metodo. Milano, Feltrinelli (capp.: 1, 6-8). 5. Goodman, N. (1985). Fatti, ipotesi e previsioni. Roma-Bari, Laterza (cap. 3). 6. Kuhn, T.S. (2009). La struttura delle rivoluzioni scientifiche. Torino, Einaudi. 7. Popper, K. (1972). La scienza: congetture e confutazioni. In: Idem, Congetture e confutazioni: Lo sviluppo della conoscenza scientifica, Bologna, Il Mulino, pp. 61-105. 8. Quine, W.V.O. (2004). Due dogmi dell’empirismo. In: Idem, Da un punto di vista logico: Saggi logico-filosofici, Milano, Raffaello Cortina Editore, pp. 35-65.

Attending the course is highly recommended.

The evaluation consists of an oral examination. The following will be assessed: 1. knowledge and understanding of the texts covered by the course, from their most general aspects to their details; in particular, the students' ability to confront a philosophical text and to critically analyse specific aspects of it will be assessed (evaluation points 1-15). 2. The students' ability to express themselves and to master the vocabulary (evaluation points 1-10). 3. The students' ability to analyze and discuss arguments (evaluation points 1-5).

Reading guides and introductions to the thought and specific works of the authors covered by the course.

Lectures with reconstruction of the context and reading, analysis and commentary of the texts. Active student participation is highly encouraged and will be stimulated throughout the lessons.