PHI 295-02 - Special Topic: Philosophy of the Social Sciences

4 credits (Fall)

This course examines the distinctive questions and challenges that inform the practice of the social (or human) sciences from a philosophical perspective. Some key topics we will consider are: the relationship between the natural and social sciences; the nature of social explanations (i.e., the relevance and nature of causation, explanation, prediction, laws, and social mechanisms according to the social sciences); the significance of interpretation and meaning for understanding human behavior; reductionism, individualism, and holism in the social sciences; objectivity and value judgments; the idea and practice of critical social science for social critique.

Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Koo