Professor Jagdish Hattiangadi,
Tel: 416 736 5113 or EXT. 77524;
e-mail jagdish@yorku.ca.
Office S437 Ross,
Office hours: Tuesdays 1:30  p.m. to 2:20 p.m.; by appointment.

This course of seminars is an advanced undergraduate course in contemporary epistemological theory, with a focus on the ongoing evaluation of relativism, or the social construction of reality. The two texts being recommended are opposed to one another in some key theses. A stringent critique of relativism is countered by a defense of a very recent moderated version of relativism. Our task will be to evaluate the arguments in the text and important arguments on which they depend from earlier texts. The recommended readings throw light on what some current discussion contributes to our subject. Familiarity with this material and similar material in the Library would be useful to obtain better grades. In each seminar, held in person, we will take up topics from the text assigned. If there is an interruption of in-person seminars for any reason, we may use Zoom instead. Because the course is very short in duration, it tends to be intense. Little material in the course will be entirely new to participants, being very general in nature. The readings are chosen to form a common background for seminar discussions.

Fear of Knowledge 2010, by Paul Boghossian, and Why Democracies Need Science 2017, by Harry Collins’

Short pieces:  Steve Fuller, Dec. 2016:  Social Studies of Science,  Sergio Sismondo, Feb. 2017, Harry Collins and Robert Evans, August 2017 Sergio Sismondo, August 2017, Michael Lynch, August 2017.Harry Collins, Social Epistemology, 2018.

30%.Midterm short paper on the first textbook assigned. Due May 27.

40% Final paper on second text book, due at noon on June 18.

30% class participation

Late penalty of 2% per day/part day unless prior permission is arranged with me.

Two Three Hour Seminars each week from May 11^th until the 17^th of June. This is a somewhat intense course, being six weeks of 6 hours of discussion each week.The material assigned for a seminar will be read and commented upon 24 hours before it. There will be a grade assigned to each comment, which will count towards class participation. Each member will also need to make a fifteen minute presentation critical presentation to the class on one text during the course, which will also count towards participation.

1. An advanced seminar course such as this has as its primary learning objective the ability to follow difficult but intriguing issues in abstract philosophical theory.
2. As a final year undergraduate course in the epistemology of relativism. it will also prepare the student for graduate work in related areas.
3. Abstracting intricate arguments, weighing the merits of opposed but seemingly well argued positions and making high level judgments based on merits of arguments are key skills needed in many professions and vocations. Learning them in this setting will help anyone who will take up other intellectually challenging work after graduation, even if this does not involve continuing study on this or a related topic.
4. Writing essays clearly and making relevant arguments and points in electronic and in face to face discussion are also valuable skills to develop for those who seek a wide variety of challenging job opportunities after graduation.

Seminars:

Up to half way in the course, we will discuss topics from the text by Collins. Thereafter we will discuss text by Boghossian.