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Graduate
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HPS 2156 Empiricism in Science
In the early twentieth century, empiricist philosophies of science
became influential. This seminar will survey the earlier history of
these philosophies, their early twentieth century expressions, their
later developments and consequences. |
Taught Spring Term 2023-2024 |
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HPS 2103 History and Philosophy
of Science Core Seminar
Co-taught with Michael Dietrich
This core seminar in integrated history and philosophy of science,
is a graduate introduction to important topics, methods, and skills
in for scholarship that successfully integrates history of science
and philosophy of science. |
Taught Spring Term 2021-2022 |
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HPS 2154
Theories of Confirmation
Science is distinguished from other investigations of nature in that
the claims of mature sciences are strongly supported by empirical
evidence. Theories of confirmation provide accounts of this relation
of inductive support. We shall review the range of theories of
confirmation, including formal and less formal approaches. The
review will be critical; none of them is entirely successful. The
theories will be tested against significant cases of the use of
evidence in science. |
Formerly "HPS 2682 Theories of Confirmation"
Taught Fall Term 2024-2025
Taught Spring Term 2020-2021
Taught Spring Term 2016-2017
Taught Fall Term 2010-2011 |
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HPS 2000
Teaching Practicum
This is a survey course designed specifically for teaching
assistants and fellows in the Department of History and Philosophy
of Science. The focus will be on practical teaching methods and
techniques used in classroom recitations and lectures. |
Organized Fall Term 2022-Spring Term 2023
Organized Fall Term 2020-Spring Term 2021 as HPS 2497 |
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HPS
2101/Philosophy 2600 Philosophy of Science
This seminar is our graduate program's "core" introductory, seminar
in philosophy of science for graduate students entering the
department's graduate program and for graduate students in the
Department of Philosophy. |
Taught Fall Term 2022-2023
Taught Fall Term 2020-2021
Taught Fall Term 2017-2018
Taught Fall Term 2014-2015
Taught Fall Term 2011-2012
Taught Fall Term 2009-2010
Taught Fall Term 2006-2007. |
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HPS 2559
Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
Co-taught with David Wallace
This seminar covers historical and foundational issues in
thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. |
Taught Spring Term 2019-20 |
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HPS 2580 Cosmology
This seminar explores the historical origins of modern cosmology and
foundational issues of philosophical interest with an emphasis on
these new developments.
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Taught Spring Term 2017-2018 |
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HPS
2814 Einstein
This seminar covers Einstein's work in physics and his philosophical
entanglements, with topics selected according to the interests of
the seminar participants. |
Taught Spring Term 2023
Taught earlier as HPS 2509
Fall Term 2015-2016
Spring 2004 |
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HPS 2626/Phil 2626
Topics in Recent Philosophy of Physics
This seminar covers recent topics in philosophy of physics, drawing
on suitable issues in quantum, relativistic and statistical physics,
according to the interests of the participants. |
Taught Fall Term 2013-2014 |
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HPS 2523 History of Quantum
Mechanics
This seminar traces the emergence in the mid 1920s of the "new
quantum theory" from the "old quantum theory" that preceded it. |
Taught Fall Term 2012-2013 |
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HPS 2675
Philosophy of Space
and Time
Phil 2660
Co-taught with John Earman
This seminar is concentrated on problems of time. Topics are
drawn from the philosophy literature: tensed vs. tenseless
theories of time, presentism vs. eternalism, McTaggart’s argument
for the unreality of time; and from the philosophy of science
literature:. the problem of the direction of time, the relations
amongst the so-called ‘arrows of time’). We try to bring the two
literatures into fruitful interaction.
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Taught Spring term 2008-2009 |
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GSSPP08 - Geneva Summer School
in the Philosophy of Physics 2008
This summer school is offered to doctoral students and
postdoctoral scholars in philosophy of physics and is based
loosely on the topic "What is the Nature of Space and Time?" My
lectures cover causation in physics, determinism in classical
physics and Einstein's method in his discovery of general
relativity.
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Summer 2008 |
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HPS 2534 General Relativity
and Gravitation Fall 2007
Co-taught with John Earman
This seminar will survey historical and foundational issues in
classical general relativity theory. Depending on seminar
interest, we will look at Einstein's discovery of genreal
relativity; the causal structure of spacetime; the initial value
problem; the "hole argument", and the status of general
covariance; and spacetime singularities.In general relativistic
cosmology, we may look at the discovery of modern, relativistic
cosmology; the "horizon problem" and the genesis of inflationary
cosmology; accelerating expansion and "dark energy"; and the
multiverse and anthropic selection.
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Taught Fall Term 2007-2008 |
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HPS 2626 Recent Topics in
Philosopohy of Physics
This graduate seminar is devoted to reading recent topics in
philosophy of physics. The choice of topics was determined by an
in-seminar ballot. |
Taught Fall Term 2004-2005. |
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HPS 2509 Einstein 1905
This graduate seminar is devoted to studying the work of Einstein's
annus mirabilis, 1905. It was the year in which he published
his investigations on the reality of atoms (Doctoral dissertation,
Brownian motion); his papers on special relativity and E=mc2;
and his light quantum paper. |
Taught Spring term 2003-2004. |
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Guest Teaching
>> Undergraduate
>> Graduate
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Phil 2677
Foundations of Quantum Field Theory
Instructor: Giovanni Valente |
Spring Term, Wednesday March 20, 2013. |
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HPS
2497 Teaching Practicum |
Taught annually. |
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HPS
2102 History of Science Core |
Einstein day: April 19, 2023 |
