The nature of Evidence, Fall 2012

Harvard Law School: 2480, Fall 2012, Meeting Time: Thursday 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Co-taught with mathematician Barry Mazur, this interdisciplinary, cross-listed 
class will explore and compare the nature of evidence and proof in a number 
of different fields: law, mathematics, the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. 
It will ask: What is considered evidence? How does what counts as evidence 
illuminate what it means to say we want to know and understand the truth? 
How can we communicate it across disciplines and contexts? Permission of 
instructors required. Single paper. Background in allied fields helpful but not required.
Note: This course is cross-listed at FAS.

Beginning reading list
Barry intro comments about the seminar
Educating your beliefs versus testing your hypothesis

A passage from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics
Bacon: Novum Organum LXX, LXXI.
Galileo on Aristotle
The Introduction to Mach's Science of Mechanics
An excerpt of Karl Popper's Science as Falsification
An excerpt from William James' Varieties of Reilgious Experience
On Peirce
Chapter IX of Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolution"
KUHN: Preface to The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Geertz_The Interpretation of Cultures
Background Information Only- Nichomachean Ethics, Book VI
High resolution Arnolfini Portrait.
Eyck_Arnolfini Portrait
Koster_Arnolfini Double Portrait
Ginzburg_Clues and Scientific Method
Readings Assigned for October 4th
Readings Assigned for October 11th
Barry will explain almost all of these readings in class
Readings Assigned for October 18th
Readings Assigned for November 1st
Readings Assigned for November 8th
Ed Nelson's "warning" about the foundations of mathematics
Readings for Maryellen Ruvolo's presentation (Thursday Nov 29): Evidence in Biology
Readings for December 6th
The slides for Prof. Ruvolo's presentation: 'Evidence in Biology'