Philosophy of the social sciences
A.A. 2019/2020
Obiettivi formativi
The course aims at familiarizing students with the main issues discussed in contemporary philosophy of the social sciences, with particular emphasis on social ontology and rational choice theory.
Risultati apprendimento attesi
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course the students
- will learn to identify and distinguish the most prominent positions in debates concerning individualism, reductionism, constructionism, and realism;
- will understand the theories that philosophers, psychologists, biologists and economists have put forward to explain the emergence of institutions;
- will know what kind of cognitive capacities allow human beings to engage in coordination and cooperation, on a scale of complexity that is unknown in the natural world.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course the students
- will be able to analyse and critically assess the main arguments brought in favour and against different philosophical positions concerning the scientific status of the social sciences, the nature of institutions, and the emergence of cooperation;
- will be able to identify the ways in which these debates may be resolved, and how their solutions may contribute to scientific progress and understanding;
- will be able to present the main arguments independently, satisfying the main requirements of scholarly writing.
At the end of the course the students
- will learn to identify and distinguish the most prominent positions in debates concerning individualism, reductionism, constructionism, and realism;
- will understand the theories that philosophers, psychologists, biologists and economists have put forward to explain the emergence of institutions;
- will know what kind of cognitive capacities allow human beings to engage in coordination and cooperation, on a scale of complexity that is unknown in the natural world.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course the students
- will be able to analyse and critically assess the main arguments brought in favour and against different philosophical positions concerning the scientific status of the social sciences, the nature of institutions, and the emergence of cooperation;
- will be able to identify the ways in which these debates may be resolved, and how their solutions may contribute to scientific progress and understanding;
- will be able to present the main arguments independently, satisfying the main requirements of scholarly writing.
Periodo: Primo semestre
Modalità di valutazione: Esame
Giudizio di valutazione: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Corso singolo
Questo insegnamento non può essere seguito come corso singolo. Puoi trovare gli insegnamenti disponibili consultando il catalogo corsi singoli.
Programma e organizzazione didattica
Edizione unica
Responsabile
Periodo
Primo semestre
Programma
- Individualismo ontologico e metodologico
- Convenzioni e problemi di coordinazione
- Il problemi della cooperazione
- L'evoluzione della cooperazione
- Norme sociali
- Intenzionalità collettiva
- La teoria delle regole costitutive
- Convenzioni e problemi di coordinazione
- Il problemi della cooperazione
- L'evoluzione della cooperazione
- Norme sociali
- Intenzionalità collettiva
- La teoria delle regole costitutive
Prerequisiti
Nessuno, ma una conoscenza di base della filosofia della scienza può aiutare
Metodi didattici
Lezioni frontali, discussioni seminariali
Materiale di riferimento
Una list complete del material is trove sul site Ariel del corso (https://fgualapss.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/). Solo le letture obbligatorie sono elencate qui sotto.
* Watkins, J. W. (1957) "Historical Explanation in the Social Sciences", British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 8: 104-117. [in electronic library, also in M&M]
* Sawyer, K. (2002) "Nonreductive Individualism: Part I - Supervenience and Wild Disjunction", Philosophy of the Social Sciences 32: 537-59 [ariel, S&G].
* Guala, F. (2016) Understanding Institutions, Princeton University Press, Ch. 2 ("Games") [ariel]
* Lewis, D. (1969) Convention. Blackwell, selected paragraphs from Chs. 1 and 2. [S&G, ariel]
* Peterson, M. (ed. 2015) The Prisoner's Dilemma. Cambridge University Press (Introduction). [ariel]
* Handout on Repeated Games [ariel].
* Camerer, C. F., & Fehr, E. (2004) "Measuring social norms and preferences using experimental games: A guide for social scientists", in J. Henrich et al (eds.) Foundations of Human Sociality, Oxford Univer-sity Press. [There are various pre-print versions online, e.g. http://www.econ.uzh.ch/static/wp_iew/iewwp097.pdf]
* Frank, R. H. (1988) Passions within Reason, Norton (Ch.3: "A Theory of Moral Sentiments") [in Ariel]
* Alexander, J. M. (2019) "Evolutionary Game Theory", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philoso-phy https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/game-evolutionary/ [online], especially sec-tions 1,2,3,5.
* Okasha, S., (2013) "Biological Altruism", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philoso-phy https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/altruism-biological/ [online]
* Bicchieri, C. (2006) The Grammar of Society, Cambridge University Press, Ch. 1 ("The rules we live by"). [S&G, ariel]
* Gilbert, M. (1990) "Walking Together: A Paradigmatic Social Phenomenon", Midwest Studies in Philosophy 15: pp. 1-14. [ariel, online]
* Searle, J. (2005) "What Is an Institution?", Journal of Institutional Economics 1: 1-22 [online, S&G].
* Guala, F. and Hindriks, F. (2015) "A Unified Social Ontology", Philosophical Quarterly 165 (2015): 177-201. [library]
Gli studenti non frequentanti devono anche leggere:
* Hempel, C. G. (1942) "The Function of General Laws in History", Journal of Philosophy, 39: 35-48. [library, M&M, S&G]
* Davidson, D. (1976) "Hempel on Explaining Action", Erkenntnis 10: 239-253. [library]
* Goldman, A. I. (1989) "Interpretation Psychologized", Mind & Language 4: 161-185. [S&G, ariel]
* McGeer, V. (2007) "The Regulative Dimension of Folk Psychology", in Folk Psychology Re-assessed, edited by D. Hutto and M. Radcliffe. Springer, 137-156. [online]
* Hacking, I. (1995) "The Looping Effect of Human Kinds", in Causal Cognition: A Multidisciplinary De-bate, edited by A. Premack. Clarendon Press, pp. 351-83 [S&G, ariel].
* Mallon, R. (2003) "Social Construction, Social Roles, and Stability." In Socializing Metaphysics, edited by F. F. Schmidt. Rowman and & Littlefield, pp. 327-353. [ariel]
* Thomasson, A. (2003) "Realism and Human Kinds", Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 68: 580-609. [library]
* Haslanger, S. (2005) "What Are We Talking About? The Semantics and Politics of Social Kinds." Hypa-tia 20: 10-26. [library, online]
* Fricker, M. (2006) "Powerlessness and Social Interpretation", Episteme 3: 96-108. [S&G, ariel]
* Watkins, J. W. (1957) "Historical Explanation in the Social Sciences", British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 8: 104-117. [in electronic library, also in M&M]
* Sawyer, K. (2002) "Nonreductive Individualism: Part I - Supervenience and Wild Disjunction", Philosophy of the Social Sciences 32: 537-59 [ariel, S&G].
* Guala, F. (2016) Understanding Institutions, Princeton University Press, Ch. 2 ("Games") [ariel]
* Lewis, D. (1969) Convention. Blackwell, selected paragraphs from Chs. 1 and 2. [S&G, ariel]
* Peterson, M. (ed. 2015) The Prisoner's Dilemma. Cambridge University Press (Introduction). [ariel]
* Handout on Repeated Games [ariel].
* Camerer, C. F., & Fehr, E. (2004) "Measuring social norms and preferences using experimental games: A guide for social scientists", in J. Henrich et al (eds.) Foundations of Human Sociality, Oxford Univer-sity Press. [There are various pre-print versions online, e.g. http://www.econ.uzh.ch/static/wp_iew/iewwp097.pdf]
* Frank, R. H. (1988) Passions within Reason, Norton (Ch.3: "A Theory of Moral Sentiments") [in Ariel]
* Alexander, J. M. (2019) "Evolutionary Game Theory", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philoso-phy https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/game-evolutionary/ [online], especially sec-tions 1,2,3,5.
* Okasha, S., (2013) "Biological Altruism", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philoso-phy https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/altruism-biological/ [online]
* Bicchieri, C. (2006) The Grammar of Society, Cambridge University Press, Ch. 1 ("The rules we live by"). [S&G, ariel]
* Gilbert, M. (1990) "Walking Together: A Paradigmatic Social Phenomenon", Midwest Studies in Philosophy 15: pp. 1-14. [ariel, online]
* Searle, J. (2005) "What Is an Institution?", Journal of Institutional Economics 1: 1-22 [online, S&G].
* Guala, F. and Hindriks, F. (2015) "A Unified Social Ontology", Philosophical Quarterly 165 (2015): 177-201. [library]
Gli studenti non frequentanti devono anche leggere:
* Hempel, C. G. (1942) "The Function of General Laws in History", Journal of Philosophy, 39: 35-48. [library, M&M, S&G]
* Davidson, D. (1976) "Hempel on Explaining Action", Erkenntnis 10: 239-253. [library]
* Goldman, A. I. (1989) "Interpretation Psychologized", Mind & Language 4: 161-185. [S&G, ariel]
* McGeer, V. (2007) "The Regulative Dimension of Folk Psychology", in Folk Psychology Re-assessed, edited by D. Hutto and M. Radcliffe. Springer, 137-156. [online]
* Hacking, I. (1995) "The Looping Effect of Human Kinds", in Causal Cognition: A Multidisciplinary De-bate, edited by A. Premack. Clarendon Press, pp. 351-83 [S&G, ariel].
* Mallon, R. (2003) "Social Construction, Social Roles, and Stability." In Socializing Metaphysics, edited by F. F. Schmidt. Rowman and & Littlefield, pp. 327-353. [ariel]
* Thomasson, A. (2003) "Realism and Human Kinds", Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 68: 580-609. [library]
* Haslanger, S. (2005) "What Are We Talking About? The Semantics and Politics of Social Kinds." Hypa-tia 20: 10-26. [library, online]
* Fricker, M. (2006) "Powerlessness and Social Interpretation", Episteme 3: 96-108. [S&G, ariel]
Modalità di verifica dell’apprendimento e criteri di valutazione
Esame scritto
Moduli o unità didattiche
Unita' didattica A
M-FIL/02 - LOGICA E FILOSOFIA DELLA SCIENZA - CFU: 3
Lezioni: 20 ore
Unita' didattica B
M-FIL/02 - LOGICA E FILOSOFIA DELLA SCIENZA - CFU: 3
Lezioni: 20 ore
Unita' didattica C
M-FIL/02 - LOGICA E FILOSOFIA DELLA SCIENZA - CFU: 3
Lezioni: 20 ore
Docente/i
Ricevimento:
Martedì 9.30-12.30, solo su appuntamento
Dipartimento di Filosofia, via Festa del Perdono 7, Cortile Ghiacciaia, ultimo piano