Computational Modeling
Fall 2008

For today, you should:

1) prepare for a quiz on Chapter 5

2) evaluate a peer's Chapter 4

3) read

   Kuhn's Objectivity, Value Judgment and Theory Choice
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_wars
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_realism

4) work on your chapter 5


Today:

1) Kuhn and Theory Choice

2) work on your chapter 5


For next time you should:

1) work on your Chapter 5, aiming to finish Friday
   (so this chapter will be short)

2) skim the rest of the chapters and think about whether
   you want to (a) give them all equal weight, (b) expand
   one and contract others, or (c) drop 1-2 of them altogether
   in favor of something else.

3) do exercise 5.4 in preparation for discussion of falsifiability
   

Kuhn and Theory Choice
----------------------

Reactions to SSR, from mild to strong

1) scientists are human, but the scientific method is still the
   goal of good science

2) theory choice is frequently under-determined by facts, other 
   criteria also matter, but choices can be justified

3) science is no more objective than any other field of inquiry,
   theory choice is a personal preference, scientific consensus
   is mob rule

4) so-called "truth" is all relative, there are no "facts",
   science has no special claim on truth, it is just a tool
   the Man uses to keep the people down...

   See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_wars


Objectivity, Value Judgment and Theory Choice:

1) What are Kuhn's criteria for theory choice?


2) What limitations does Kuhn acknowledge for using these criteria?


3) What is Kuhn's answer to the charge that scientific consensus
   is "mob psychology"?


Science wars:

1) What is the basic position of the people the Wikipedia article
   calls realists?


2) What is the basic position of the people the Wikipedia article
   calls postmodernists?


3) Before Popper, what was the fundamental question in philosophy
   of science?


4) After Kuhn, what is the fundamental question in philosophy
   of science?



Scientific realism:

1) What, according to a scientific realist, are the properties
   of scientific theory?


2) What are the best arguments in favor of scientific realism?


3) What are some of the arguments against?