Philosophy of Social Sciences

In the last decade the philosophy of the social sciences has become a vibrant field with exciting research on a host of topics. It is to some of this exciting research, and the debates that provide for a context of discussion, that this course will give detailed attention. This will lead to rethinking some of the classic questions in the field both at the philosophical level and in an applied form:

What is a science?
How do social structures determine and influence human behaviour?
How do economic models explain social interactions?
How do ecological factors determine the fate of societies?

The course will address both students whose primary interest is in philosophy and students who concentrate more on the social science side. Discussion and exchange between these two groups will be highly encouraged during classes.

- a good background knowledge of the main philosophical debates about social science (past and current);
- knowledge of major perspectives of research and research methodology in social science;
- knowledge of some of the main philosophical issues debated in social science and their relevance for social debate.

Students should also acquire the following skills:
- to approach issues emerging from social science in a philosophically consistent and rigorous style of argument;
- to single out and to be able to discuss some of the philosophical and social implications of the questions and problems raised by social science in specific practical contexts of research;
- to assess the validity and relevance of philosophical arguments used in social scientific debates.

No specific knowledge of the topics under investigation is expected. The course will address students with an interest in philosophy of science and social science, social methodology, scientific explanation, applied ethics, and interdisciplinary research.

1. How philosophers think about what makes a science a science
2. Institutional structures and strategies for controlling behaviours
3. Economic rationality—its uses and its limits as an explanation of human behaviour
4. Ecological constraints and the “new” union of natural and social scientific explanations

There is no course textbook.

All Readings below available as pdfs on Moodle
(Sections of books and articles to be Read will be specified in Class):

T. S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (2nd Ed., University of Chicago Press, 1970)

E. Montuschi, “Scientific Objectivity,” (originally published in N. Cartwright & E. Montuschi, eds., Philosophy of Social Science: A New Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2014)

I. Hacking, “Making up People,” London Review of Books (2006)

E. Goffman, “The Medical Model and Mental Hospitalization: Some Notes on the Vicissitudes of the Tinkering Trades,” (Chapter of his book Asylums)

D. L. Rosenhan, “On Being Sane in Insane Places,” Science (1973)

C. Bicchieri, “Norms, Conventions, and the Power of Expectations,” (originally published in N. Cartwright & E. Montuschi, eds., Philosophy of Social Science: A New Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2014)

S Levitt & S, Dubner, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (William Morrow 2005)

D. Kahneman, “Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral Economics,” American Economic Review (2003)

J. Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel (W. W. Norton, 2005)

Further reading might be suggested during the course and uploaded on Moodle.

30% class presentation (group)
70% final essay (individual)
The essay (approx 6000 words) will be on a topic related to one of those discussed during the course (but different from the topic addressed by the student during class presentation), and pre settled with the course tutor.

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Lectures, class discussions, student presentations, possible seminars with invited speakers.

Teaching language: English
Please contact the course instructor for any request of clarification concerning the course and related aspects.