PHL 331, 336 - Evidence and Inference

Course unit(s): 1
Meets requirement: W when offered as 336
Prerequisite(s): Any previous course in philosophy.
This class explores the nature, scope, and sources of human knowledge and analyzes the role of evidence in belief formation, hypothesis testing, and theory selection. Diagnostic, explanatory, and causal inferences are studied, as well as predictive, and sample-to-population induction. Questions explored include: What is knowledge, and how is it acquired? What makes some beliefs more reasonable than others? What should we believe when evidence conflicts? How are hypotheses confirmed and disconfirmed? How do social location and intellectual virtue facilitate inquiry and discovery?