philosiphy
Order Description
TOPICS

Write an essay on one of the following topics:

1. Critically Evaluate Hume’s Argument Against Induction
Explain Hume’s Argument against induction. How have philosophers attempted to refute his argument? Do you think any reply is satisfactory?

Recommended Reading
B. Skyrms Choice and Chance, chapter two, ie, pp.22-50. It is not essential for students to discuss the material covered in pp.28-37 of Skyrms.)

2. Popper’s Philosophy of Science
Give an exposition of Karl Popper’s Philosophy of Science. Some topics to be discussed may include: Popper’s criterion of demarcation, the concept of falsifiability, Popper’s account of the growth of scientific knowledge, Empirical content, falsifiability and improbability, Popper on the impossibility of confirmation. Popper’s solution to Fries trilemma. (You do not need to discuss all these topics).

Recommended Reading
W.H. Newton-Smith The Rationality of Science especially chapter three on Popper. (You may, if you wish, skip section 4 of chapter three (ie, the section on verisimilitude, pp.52-59).

K.R. Popper Conjectures and Refutations especially pp.33-59. You might also wish to look at pp.97-120 of Conjectures and Refutations.

Also useful for an overview of Popper’s philosophy is Popper by Bryan Magee. Also: “Notes on Popper” on Blackboard

More difficult
K.R. Popper. The Logic of Scientific Discovery, Chapter 1, pp.27-49.
look at parts of The Philosophy of Karl Popper edited by P.A. Schilpp.