COSMOLOGY

COURSE SYNOPSIS

INSTRUCTOR:	Dan Petersen	COURSE ALPHA:	PHIL 255
CLASS:	TTR/12:30-145/Mookini 344	OFFICE HR:	TR/08:00-09:00
OFFICE:	UHH Bldg. 345F-A	PHONE:	Wk. 974-7743
URL:	http://www.hawaii.hawaii.edu/danp	E-MAIL:	danielpe@hawaii.edu

PREREQUISITE: Completion of ENG 21 or Eng 22 or ESL 15 or Placement in ENG 100 or ENG 102

TEXTS:

1.     Science and the Human Prospect, by Ronald Pine (online @ http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/~pine)

2.     The Fabric of the Cosmos, by Brian Green

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

An interdisciplinary general survey of modern science and philosophy from the humanistic perspective.  A scientific description of the Universe as a whole and the implication for human life will be studied.  The primary philosophical problems of cosmology will be discussed along with the problem of understanding the world and our place in it, as well as, our knowledge of it as a part of the universe will be studied.

COURSE PURPOSE:

To facilitate and develop students' understanding and application of the principles of modern science and philosophy from the humanistic perspective.  To facilitate students' understanding for and appreciation of the vastness of the Universe and the wonder of its parts.  To examine the philosophical significance of improving the the quality of human life.   To explore the limitless potential for growth of human intelligence.  To impart a feel for and make the scientific endeavor more palatable for students.

COURSE OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES:  Students will demonstrate in college level written and oral presentations:

• Demonstrate comprehension of the historical and philosophical perspectives of the human relationship to the Universe.
• Examine the different cosmologies of Western culture.
• Survey the Scientific Method, it's modern results and historical developments.
• Use their understanding to explain and demonstrate knowledge of the core issues of the Philosophy of Science, including the central problem of cosmology, the problem of understanding the world and our knowledge of it as a part of the world.

• Use various methods of philosophical inquiry, such as: critical thinking, writing and reading and other epistemological criteria to test the validity and reliability of their own or others beliefs.

• Develop and demonstrate in written and oral presentation an understanding of their own philosophical arguments. 

• Write clear, cogent, coherent, unified flowing, philosophical essays and arguments and analyses of arguments.

COURSE CONTENT:

A.    Science topics:

• Cosmological theories on the origin and structure of the Universe.  The Universe and its parts:  planets, stars, galaxies, galactic clusters, black holes, etc. 
• The scientific method and the history of science.
• Darwin's theory of natural selection and the life of a cell.
• The human brain, intelligence, convergent and divergent evolution.
• Newtonian physics and the modern relativistic/quantum mechanical model of the universe.        
• The possibility of extraterrestrial life and communication.

B.    Philosophy topics:

• Metaphysics, epistemology and cosmology.
• The Hypothetical/Deductive method and some problems associated with it, including the problem of induction.
• Questions of discovery and justification.  The line of demarcation between philosophy, religion and science.
• The Pre-Socratic philosophers, the Sophists, and Greek philosophy.  Plato and mathematics.
• Realism, Instrumentalism and the ontological status of scientific theories.  Paradigms and issues of objectivity and subjectivity.
• Immanuel Kant and the categories of experience.
• Modern Science and Eastern philosophy.
• The Mind/Body problem.

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION:

Sophomore Seminar: Lectures, demonstrations, readings and interactive class discussions, written and oral presentations.

EVALUATION:

This course is a WI / Non-WI designated course, 70% of the total grade for the course will be contingent upon writing, on selected topics related to the material covered in the course.  There will be two short essays, three-pages long, and a research paper on a selected area of interest, 8-10 for WI students and 6-8 pages long for non WI students.  

Written Assignments: --------- 70%

Attendance/Participation: ----- 15%

Internet Searches ------------- 15%

Participation, Preparedness and timely completion of written assignments will be considered when determining your grade. Any student missing a total of two weeks, during the semester, will receive an F grade. All disappears will receive an F grade. All students must abide by the Student Code of Conduct. Any student with a documented disability who would like to request accommodations should contact Karen Kane at ex. 30702, as early in the semester as possible.  In order to do well in this class you must:

                                1. ---- Show up for class.        2. ---- Participate.        3. ---- Do the work.

Please note, the 'I' grade will be given only if, there are special circumstances, that warrants such a grade.  

LECTURE & READING SCHEDULE:

 WEEK: .................. Assigned:

1.    Chpt. 1-3 Pine ....... (08-26-08)

        Pine Chpt. 2

       Part I Green

2.    Chpt. 7 Pine ........... (10-13-08)    

       Part II Green

3.    Chpt. 8 Pine ........... (10-21-08)

       Part III Green

4.    Chpt. 9- Pine ......... (10-28-08

       Part IV Green

5.    Chpt. 10 Pine ........ (11-18-08) 

       Part V Green

Class Notes:

1.    Create a file.  Store all your work during the semester.

2.    There will be two required field trips on Saturdays. 

        a.    The first will be to the Ellison Onizuka Visitors Center on Mauna Kea, to 'Star Gaze', Saturday, 09-06-08.  There

                is no charge for this field trip.

        b.    The second will be to the Imiloa Astronomy Center, Saturday, 09-13-08.  There is a $8.00 charge for this field

                trip.

3.    You are required to e-mail the author of your texts, at least once during the semester to ask your author anything of

        interest connected to the course or the text you are reading.

                              a.   pine@hcc.hawaii.edu

                              b.   greene@math.columbia.edu
                                    greene@phys.columbia.edu

4.    Click here for: 

        a.    Writing a Philosophy Essay

        b.   Guidelines for Research Paper and Project/Presentation:

        c.    Example of Title Page.

5.    Non-WI Students

        a.    Non-WI Essay Format

        b.    Non-WI Research Paper Format

6.    Writing Intensive Students:

                            a.    Writing Intensive Guidelines

        b.    WI Essay Format

        c.    WI Research Paper Format

7.    Click here for:  http://www.hawaii.edu/ecafe

8.    Library presentation on: How to do research on the Internet.

Philosophy 255 Cosmology.doc

Five Criteria for Evaluating Websites.doc

Internet Searches

                1.    Quarks

2.    The Tri Point of Water

3.    Flat Land  

4.   All at One Point

5.    Naturalistic Fallacy  

Interesting sites Students have found:

               1.    Justine Erickson found these sites:

                     Linear Exclerator:
                     http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/lab-info/linac.html

                     String Theory:
                     http://www.superstringtheory.com/
                     (official website)

                    2.    Jane Bontuyan person from Phil 100 found these interesting sites.

       Large Hadron Collider at CERN.:
       http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/10-heres-how-the-lhc-could-blow-up-the-world

       Naturalistic  Fallacy:

       http://www.iscid.org/encyclopedia/Naturalistic_Fallacy

       Large Hadron Collider:

       http://www.sciam.com/report.cfm?id=lhc-countdown

       Video breaks down the make up of the Large Hadron Collider and how it
       works:
       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQNpucos9wc&fmt=18

       David Hume:

       http://www.econlib.org/library/LFBooks/Hume/hmMPLtoc.html

       The problem of Induction:
       http://facweb.bcc.ctc.edu/wpayne/problem_of_induction.htm

       Great pictures of Tesla's high voltage generator:

       http://bored-night.com/index.php/Amazing/Tesla-High-Voltage-Generator.html

3.    Doug Suffern person found these sites, including one for: All at One Point

       http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=57795003#
       (all at one point)       

        http://www.chem.arizona.edu/~salzmanr/103a004/nts004/l37/l37.html
        (Tri-point of water)

        http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/eaa/FL.HTM
        (Flatland)

        http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/quark.html
        (quarks)

        http://public.web.cern.ch/public/\
        (CERN)

        http://www.venganza.org/
        (Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster)

        http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39512
        (Intelligent falling)
        In this article the reasoning to debunk the law of gravity seems to be
        with a logical fallacy of appealing to ignorance, and the argument for
        ‘God’ seems to be begging the question (if you are going to use the
        bible).  What do you think?

        http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/07/28/warp-speed-engine.html
        (warp-drive)

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-0eZytv6Qk&feature=related
        (robot with a rat brain)

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk8Vr00EBHA&NR=1

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za72ZFwjkjU&NR=1
        (physics of invisibility)

4.    Mailie person found this site on thinking about the Fourth Dimension:

        http://tetraspace.alkaline.org/

             5.    Flat Land:    Mailie person found this link to the text:  Copy and past this URL into a browser and it will take you to the text on line. 

4.    Sui-Lan person found several experiments on the Tri point of water on youtube.  Just go to youtube.com and search triple point.

5.    Jane Bontuyan person found this site on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.:
        http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/10-heres-how-the-lhc-could-blow-up-the-world

6.    Lawrence person found these sites on the "God Particle":

        http://jupiterscientific.org/sciinfo/higgs.html
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fg16j5hbvY 

7.    Michael person found another site on Flatland:

        http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/flatland/1.html

8.    Susan O'neal sent me these kewl photos of the Universe.

Follow this link for some cool universe view from one of our telescopes:       http://surveys.roe.ac.uk:8080/wsa/gps_mosaic.jsp?release=dr4&block=24&x=2400&y=8000&z=50

9.    Ben Person found these important sites, everyone visits them:

        http://groups.google.com/group/alt.news-media/browse_thread/thread/62ae29f097e3612e?pli=1
        http://www.philosophicalsociety.com/Logical%20Fallacies.htm#naturalistic-fallacy

Phil 255 Cosmology Essay Questions:

Question # 1:	What is the Inflationary model of the universe, what is it that we think we know and how do we know it?
Question # 2:	What is a mechanisim of evolution and what are the mechanisms of evolution according to Darwinism, Larmarkism and Evolutionary Biology?
Question #3:	What are the epistemological differences between the Theory of Evolution, which uses the scientific  method, and Scientific Creationism, which is an irrefutable belief system?
Question #4	Write and answer your own question on any of the significant areas of study we have covered in this class.

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