PSY1500: Philosophy of Psychology as a Social Science (Spring 2012)
Time:
Thursday 1:15-3:15 pmLocation: SS4004
Course Website: http://psych.utoronto.ca/~courses/psy1500
Instructor: R. Tafarodi
Office Hours: Thursday 3:15-4:00 pm in SS4032
Phone: 416-946-3024
E-mail: tafarodi@psych.utoronto.ca
Required Texts:
Rosenberg, A. (2008). Philosophy of social science (3rd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. (available at U of T Bookstore)
Martin, M., & McIntyre, L. C. (Eds.). (1994). Readings in the philosophy of social science. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (available at U of T Bookstore)
Despite the prescriptive claims of scientific unitarians from J. S. Mill to E. O. Wilson, the discipline of psychology continues to walk on two legs as both natural and social science. This course addresses key metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical questions concerning the second leg -- psychology as social science. It is aimed at psychologists who study the social world and seek, for its own sake, a deeper understanding of the philosophical commitments that lie behind their practice and the choices it entails.
What is social reality? How does it relate to agency and intentionality? What does it mean to explain human action? How do and should causality, prediction, laws, reasons, and interpretation figure in social scientific explanation? Can naturalist and interpretive approaches to understanding social life be reconciled? What is the place of values in social inquiry? To what extent does studying the social world legitimate or challenge it? What are the ethical implications of this for the social scientist? Finally, do responses to the above questions point to any essential differences between natural and social science? Guided by classic and contemporary readings in philosophy of science, students will be encouraged to develop their own positions on the issues examined and to test out these positions in class discussion. The result, it is hoped, will be as many distinct perspectives as there are students enrolled.Evaluation is based on participation in class discussion (40%) and a final in-class test (60%) on April 5. All assigned readings are compulsory. Before committing to this course, students are urged to gauge their ability to complete the weekly readings in preparation for each class. There is no way for an unread and unprepared student to follow and contribute meaningfully to the class discussions. Nor can such a student profit as intended from this course. Nil posse creari de nilo. Accordingly, the commitment to complete all assigned readings on schedule is a prerequisite for joining this class.
Course marks will be posted on the course website within two weeks of the final test. Marked test can be picked up outside the instructor's office (SS4032) any time after that.
For those with little or no background in philosophy, some of the readings may prove challenging and require patient and close attention. The effort will be repaid with a deeper understanding of what we are up to -- and up against -- in psychology as a social science.
January 12 - Introduction
January 19 - Natural and social science
PSS, ch. 1
RPSS, chs. 2, 5
January 26 - Action and folk psychology
PSS, ch. 2
RPSS, chs. 6, 7
February 2 - Rationality
PSS, ch. 3
RPSS, chs. 18, 19
February 9 - Interpretation
PSS, ch. 4
RPSS, chs. 13, 17
February 16 - Explanation in psychology
RPSS, chs. 43, 44
March 1 - Individualism and holism
PSS, ch. 5
RPSS, chs. 32, 33
March 8 - Functionalism
RPSS, chs. 25, 26
March 15 - Modularity and evolution
PSS, ch. 6
Bermudez, J. L. (Ed.). (2006). Philosophy of psychology: Contemporary readings. New York: Routledge. (pp. 511-555; will be provided by instructor)
March 22 - Morality and values
PSS, ch. 7
RPSS, chs. 35, 39
March 29 - Retrospective/prospective
PSS, ch. 8
April 5 - In-class test