Hiroshima University Syllabus

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Japanese
Academic Year 2024Year School/Graduate School School of Integrated Arts and Sciences Department of Integrated Global Studies
Lecture Code ARS10801 Subject Classification Specialized Education
Subject Name Contemporary Philosophy I (哲学の諸問題 I)
Subject Name
(Katakana)
テツガクノショモンダイ I
Subject Name in
English
Contemporary Philosophy I
Instructor SHIMAMURA SHUHEI
Instructor
(Katakana)
シマムラ シュウヘイ
Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 2nd-Year,  First Semester,  2Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms (2T) Thur1-2:IAS K204
Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details)
 
Note that you must register for both Contemporary Philosophy I and II. 
Credits 1.0 Class Hours/Week   Language of Instruction E : English
Course Level 2 : Undergraduate Low-Intermediate
Course Area(Area) 23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area(Discipline) 01 : Philosophy
Eligible Students
Keywords Induction and Deduction, Hypothetico-Deductive Method, Justification of Induction, Projectability, Falsificationism, Scientific Explanation, Scientific Realism Debate 
Special Subject for Teacher Education   Special Subject  
Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
 
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Integrated Global Studies
(Knowledge and Understanding)
・The knowledge and understanding of the important characteristics and basic theoretical framework of individual academic disciplines.
(Abilities and Skills)
・The ability to collect and analyze necessary literature or data among various sources of information in individual academic disciplines.
・The ability to summarize one's own research in reports or academic papers, deliver presentations at seminars or research meetings, and explain it in an easy way so that people in different cultures and areas of specialization understand. 
Class Objectives
/Class Outline
For those of us living in the modern world, science and technology are very familiar aspects of life. The goal of this class is to reconsider the question of "What is science?" by examining the workings of this familiar science anew. More specifically, the questions addressed in this class include:

    Why did science emerge in the West rather than in the East?
    How is the balance between theory and empirical evidence achieved in science?
    Where is the boundary between science and non-science?
    What does it mean to explain things scientifically?
    Is it true that science reveals the true nature of the world?

The field that addresses these questions about science is called "philosophy of science." The questions of philosophy of science have a slightly different nature from those of science itself. While answering scientific questions leads to understanding various phenomena, the aim of philosophy of science is to comprehend the activity of science itself. If, through addressing the questions mentioned above, the curious but puzzling aspects of science that were previously unnoticed become visible, then the goal of this class will have been achieved. 
Class Schedule Lesson 1: Introduction: The Inseparable Relationship between Science and Philosophy
I. Questioning the Methods of Science: How can Science be "Speculative" without Being "an Armchair Theory"?
Lesson 2: Deduction and Induction
Lesson 3: Hypothetico-Deductive Method
Lesson 4: SD1: What's Mysterious about Science - Let's Put Simple Questions into Words
II. Doubting the Foundations of Science - Is Induction Really Reliable?
Lesson 5: Empiricism and Hume's Problem
Lesson 6: Crows and Emeralds - The Problem of Projectability
III. Science as Rational Intellectual Activity
Lesson 7: Falsificationism - What Happens If Induction is Expelled from Science?
Lesson 8: SD2: What Distinguishes Science from Pseudoscience?
IV. What Does It Mean to "Explain Scientifically"?
Lesson 9: From the Perspective of Inference
Lesson 10: From the Perspective of Causality
V. Scientific Realism vs. Scientific Anti-Realism - Can We Really Say "Electrons Exist"?
Lesson 11: Underdetermination of Theories
Lesson 12: Argument from Miracles and Pessimistic Metainduction
Lesson 13: Entity Realism
Lesson 14: SD3: In the End, What Do You Think?
Lesson 15: Preparation and Submission of A Short Essay-- 
Text/Reference
Books,etc.
Adventures in the Philosophy of Science, by Kazuhisa Todayama, published by NHK Publishing, 2005.
Exploring the Ideas of Science: From Natural Philosophy to Modern Science, by Kokuichi Hashimoto, published by Sayusha, 2010.
The Rule-Following Paradox and Meaning, by Takashi Iida, published by NHK Publishing, 2016.
Pseudoscience and the Philosophy of Science, by Tetsuji Iseda, published by Nagoya University Press, 2003.
Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction, by Samir Okasha (Author) and Satoru Hirose (Translator), published by Iwanami Shoten, 2008 
PC or AV used in
Class,etc.
 
(More Details) PC-necessary 
Learning techniques to be incorporated  
Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review
Lecture Sessions:
・A handout summarizing the key points of each session will be provided.
・The handout will also include references for the next session, aiding in preparation.
・At the end of each session, a brief quiz will be given to assess understanding of the key points. The following session will include explanations for these tests. If there are any parts of the test explanations that are unclear, please make sure to ask questions on the same day.
Workshop Sessions (3 sessions in total):
・These sessions put you, the participants, in the spotlight. Using a method called Silent Dialogue (SD), you will engage with various philosophical questions that you have formulated yourselves.
・Please prepare your own philosophical questions in advance for the SD discussions.
・The final short essay allows you to utilize the thoughts generated during the SD discussions as material. 
Requirements Note that you must register for both Contemporary Philosophy I and II. 
Grading Method Quiz (70%), Report (30%) 
Practical Experience  
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it  
Message Many people have experienced that mundane occurrences in their daily lives become intriguing when viewed from a different perspective learned through studying science. If we call this sensation the "sense of wonder," then the goal of this course is to evoke a "sense of wonder" towards science itself. Exploring science from various angles with such a sensation should never be in vain for all of you.

Bring a laptop to class. 
Other   
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching. 
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