Computational Modeling
Fall 2008

For today, you should:

1) work on your Chapter 5, aiming to finish Friday
   (so this chapter will be short)

2) skim the rest of the chapters and think about whether
   you want to (a) give them all equal weight, (b) expand
   one and contract others, or (c) drop 1-2 of them altogether
   in favor of something else.

3) do exercise 5.4 in preparation for discussion of falsifiability


Today:

1) Popper and falsifiability

2) quiz 4

3) work on your chapter 5


For next time you should:

1) really finish your chapter 5

2) read my chapter 6

3) optional reading, relevant to the quiz question on naturalism:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/science/12geologist.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/magazine/25wwln-geologists-t.html

  

Popper and Falsifiability
-------------------------

Exercise 5.4

1) What is the demarcation problem?


2) How, according to Popper, does falsifiability solve the 
   demarcation problem?


3) Give an example of two theories, one considered scientific and one
   considered unscientific, that are successfully distinguished by the
   criterion of falsifiability.


   Can you think of test cases where this criterion seems to
   fail (one way or the other)?


4) Can you summarize one or more of the objections that
   philosophers and historians of science have raised to Popper's
   claim?