Last taught: Fall 2010, Portland State University
Science and Pseudoscience
Course Description
Science is the most reliable way we have of learning about the world. It is like a corrective lens for the mind. It is also a lively, creative, nonlinear enterprise that goes far beyond “the scientific method” we learn in school. Nevertheless many people are unsure how (or whether) to apply the scientific toolkit to extraordinary claims: PSI, alternative medicine, astrology, UFOs, ghosts, and more. This course explores topics in the philosophy of science, trains students in the “fine art of baloney detection,” and explores via case study what is going on in claims of extraordinary phenomena.
Readings
- Schick T & Vaughn L (2010) How to Think About Weird Things, 6th edition, McGraw Hill: New York.
- Raup D (1999) The Nemesis Affair (revised and expanded edition), Norton: New York.
- Sagan C (1996) The Demon Haunted World, Ballantine: New York.
- Hines T (1988) Pseudoscience and the Paranormal, Prometheus: Buffalo.
- Pennock RT & Ruse M, eds. (2009) But Is It Science? (updated edition), Prometheus: Amherst, NY.
- Angell M & Kassirer JP (1998) Alternative medicine – the risks of untested and unregulated remedies. The New England Journal of Medicine 339(12): 839-841.
Schedule
| Week | Theme | Readings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reasons for concern | Sagan ch. 1; Hines ch. 1 |
| 2 | Perception and testimony | Schick & Vaughn ch. 1 & 5 |
| 3 | Evidence and reasoning | Schick & Vaughn ch. 3 & 4 |
| 4 | Relativism | Schick & Vaughn ch. 2 & 8 |
| 5 | Best pratices | Schick & Vaughn ch. 6 & 7 |
| 6 | Alternative medicine | Angell & Kassirer |
| 7 | Creationism | Pennock pp. 434-484 |
| 8 | Astrology | Hines pp. 205-223 |
| 9 | PSI | Hines ch. 2 & 4 |
| 10 | Theory change in science | Raup |