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The intended purpose of this Topics Seminar is for the participating student (1) to become familiar with positions taken in the current debates over the specific topic area of the course; (2) to appreciate the arguments for and against the positions; and (3) to develop an independent judgment about the most promising approach in this area.
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This “Topics Seminar” explores in depth issues and texts in the area of epistemology and philosophy of science, including issues related to explanation, reliabilism, scepticism, justification, the status of thought experiments or scientific authority. The specific topic will be different each time, so as to tailor it to current research developments in the field.
Previous topic (2016-17): “Philosophy of Probability and Statistical Inference”:
It’s well known that probabilistic and statistical methods play an important role in the natural and social sciences. It’s perhaps less well known (at least among non-specialists) that these methods are also an important part of the philosopher’s toolbox: probabilistic and statistical methods have found fruitful applications in logic, epistemology, the philosophy of science, ethics, social philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and elsewhere.
In this course, you’ll learn about the philosophical interpretations and applications of probabilistic and statistical methods. At the end of the course, you’ll be familiar with the central topics in the philosophy of probability theory and statistics to the extent that you can find your own way around the contemporary literature.
The specific topic and instructor(s) for the coming year will be announced in the spring.
This course is for students in the RMA Philosophy programme and History & Philosophy of Science; students from other M.A. programmes (such as Applied Ethics), should check with the course coordinator or the RMA Philosophy coordinator (j.h.anderson@uu.nl), before enrolling, to ensure that they have the requisite philosophical background. The entrance requirements for Exchange Students will be checked by International Office and the Programme coördinator. Therefore, you do not have to contact the Programme coördinator yourself.
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