PSY275 Philosophical foundations of psychological knowledge

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2017
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Jan Šerek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Jan Šerek, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Jan Šerek, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
each even Monday 8:00–9:30 P52
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
PSY275/01: each odd Monday 8:00–9:30 U32
PSY275/02: each odd Monday 9:45–11:15 U32
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course pursues selected issues in epistemology, philosophy of science and argumentation theory. It aims to provide a deeper insight into the debates that students already know or will learn from courses on research methodology in psychology. A particular focus is on the understanding of basic philosophical standpoints and their rationale. A section focused on the theory of argumentation aims to cultivate a general skill of critical thinking in professional debates within psychology.
Learning outcomes
After passing this course, student will be able:
- to identify author's epistemological standpoint in psychological literature;
- to reconstruct arguments for and against basic approaches in philosophy of science;
- to explain how research and statistical methodologies are affected by different approaches in philosophy of science;
- to analyze arguments in terms of their quality and to identify basic argumentation fallacies;
- to asses the validity of arguments from the perspective of propositional logic.
Syllabus
  • 1. Realism and anti-realism (positivism, social constructivism)
  • 2. Falsification and revolution (Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos)
  • 3. Traditional versus Bayesian epistemology
  • 4. "Science wars" (sociology of science, critical theory)
  • 5. Foundations of argumentation and logic
Literature
    required literature
  • PICHA, Marek. Kritické myšlení a rekonstrukce argumentu (Critical thinking and reconstruction of argument). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, 41 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6730-1. info
  • CHALMERS, A. F. What is this thing called science? Fourth edition. Indianapolis: Hackett publishing company, 2013, xxi, 282. ISBN 9781624660382. info
  • BEM, Sacha and Huibert LOOREN DE JONG. Theoretical issues in psychology : an introduction. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE, 2006, xv, 312. ISBN 9780761942016. URL info
    recommended literature
  • LATOUR, Bruno. Stopovat a skládat světy s Brunem Latourem : výbor z textů 1988-2013. Edited by Tereza Stöckelová, Translated by Čestmír Pelikán. Vydání první. Praha: tranzit.cz, 2016, 250 stran. ISBN 9788087259375. info
  • After the science wars. Edited by Keith M. Ashman - Philip S. Baringer. New York: Routledge, 2001, vi, 221 p. ISBN 041521209X. info
  • Criticism and the growth of knowledge : proceedings of the International colloquium in the philosophy of science, London, 1965. Edited by Imre Lakatos - Alan Musgrave. Repr. with corrections. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1974, 282 s. ISBN 0521096235. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, seminar discussions, reading.
Assessment methods
Two written tests on the reading materials (2 x max. 5 points), seminar attendance (max. 5 points), final written test (max. 50 points). Overall 31 or more points is needed to pass.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Spring 2018, Spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2017, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2017/PSY275