Philosophy of the social sciences

Argomento del corso: Philosophy of the Social Sciences (60 or, 9 CFU)
Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Unità didattica A (20 hours, 3 cfu): Individualism, reductionism, and supervenience
Unità didattica B (20 hours, 3 cfu): Coordination, cooperation, and norms
Unità didattica C (20 hours, 3 cfu): Institutions, realism, and social kinds

The course is aimed at students of
SCIENZE FILOSOFICHE (Classe LM-78) Immatricolati fino al 2016/2017
SCIENZE FILOSOFICHE (Classe LM-78) Immatricolati dall'a.a. 2017/2018

Presentazione del corso
The course aims at familiarizing students with the main issues discussed in contemporary philosophy of social science, with particular emphasis on social ontology and rational choice theory.

Prerequisiti: There are no prerequisites, but basic knowledge of philosophy of science is an advantage.

Risultati di apprendimento
Conoscenze: The students will learn to identify and distinguish the most prominent positions in debates concerning individualism, reductionism, grounding, constitution, and realism. They will understand how rational choice models are used to explain coordination, cooperation, and the emergence of social norms. They will learn to identify the main weaknesses of these techniques, as well their strengths, in comparison with alternative approaches.

Competenze: Students will analyse and critically assess the main arguments brought in favour and against each position, with the aim of identifying the ways in which these debates may be resolved. They will learn to present the main arguments independently, satisfying the main requirements of scholarly writing.

Indicazioni bibliografiche

Unità didattica A
This bibliography is preliminary and only indicative. The final syllabus, as well as other useful teaching material, can be found on the Ariel online platform of this course (ariel.unimi.it).
· Lukes, S. (1968) "Methodological Individualism Reconsidered", British Journal of Sociology 19: 119-29.
· Fodor, J. A. (1974) "Special Sciences (Or: The Disunity of Science as a Working Hypothesis)", Synthese 28: 97-115.
· Sawyer, K. (2002) "Nonreductive Individualism: Part I - Supervenience and Wild Disjunction", Philosophy of the Social Sciences 32: 537-59.
· Papineau, D. (2009) "Physicalism and the Human Sciences", in Philosophy of the Social Sciences, edited by C. Mantzavinos, Cambridge University Press, pp. 103-23.
· Epstein, B. (2009) "Ontological Individualism Reconsidered". Synthese 166, 187-213.

Unità didattica B
This bibliography is preliminary and only indicative. The final syllabus, as well as other useful teaching material, can be found on the Ariel online platform of this course (ariel.unimi.it).
· Schelling, T. C. (2010) "Game Theory: A Practitioner's Approach", Economics & Philosophy 26: 27-46.
· Lewis, D. (1969) Convention: A Philosophical Study. Blackwell, Chs 1 and 2.
· Alexander, J. & B. Skyrms (1999) "Bargaining with Neighbors: Is Justice Contagious?", Journal of Philosophy 96: 588-598.
· Bicchieri, C. (2006) The Grammar of Society. Cambridge University Press, Ch. 1.
· Sugden, R. (2000) "Team Preferences", Economics & Philosophy 16: 175-204.

Unità didattica C
This bibliography is preliminary and only indicative. The final syllabus, as well as other useful teaching material, can be found on the Ariel online platform of this course (ariel.unimi.it).
· Searle, J. (2005) "What Is an Institution?", Journal of Institutional Economics 1: 1-22.
· Hindriks, F. and Guala, F. (2015) "Institutions, Rules, and Equilibria: A Unified Theory", Journal of Institutional Economics 11: 459-480.
· Hacking, I. (1995) "The Looping Effect of Human Kinds", in Causal Cognition: A Multidisciplinary Debate, edited by A. Premack. Clarendon Press, pp. 351-83.
· Thomasson, A. (2003) "Realism and Human Kinds", Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 68: 580-609.
· Haslanger, S. (2003) "Social Construction: The 'Debunking' Project", in Socializing Metaphysics, edited by Frederick Schmitt, Rowman and Littlefield.

Unità didattica A
In addition to the above articles, non-attending students are invited to read
· Rosenberg, A. (2012) Philosophy of Social Science. Westview/Routledge, 4th edition.
· Kincaid, H. (1995) Philosophical Foundations of the Social Sciences. Cambridge University Press.
Unità didattica B
In addition to the above articles, non-attending students are invited to read
· Rosenberg, A. (2012) Philosophy of Social Science. Westview/Routledge, 4th edition.
· Kincaid, H. (1995) Philosophical Foundations of the Social Sciences. Cambridge University Press.
Unità didattica C
In addition to the above articles, non-attending students are invited to read
· Rosenberg, A. (2012) Philosophy of Social Science. Westview/Routledge, 4th edition.
· Kincaid, H. (1995) Philosophical Foundations of the Social Sciences. Cambridge University Press.

05/09/2018