Universität Wien
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180102 SE Modelling Possibilities (2022S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work
REMOTE
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

All course units will be held via Zoom.

  • Thursday 10.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 17.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 24.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 31.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 07.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 28.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 05.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 12.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 19.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 02.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 09.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Thursday 23.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Thursday 30.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Scientists regularly make claims concerning various possibilities, or produce projections and future scenarios. For example, synthetic biologists explore biological possibilities by synthesizing novel biological systems, economists examine the possible impacts of alternative policy decisions, and climate scientists study the influence of a range of different forcing scenarios on climate change. Modeling is one of the primary tools scientists use in conceiving the possible. This course seeks give an overview of the present philosophical discussion of modeling possibilities, using scientific examples especially from biological sciences.

The topics discussed include:
- Possible worlds and multiverses
- Possibility spaces
- How-possibly models
- Objective and epistemic possibilities
- Engineering approach to biology
- Evolutionary possibilities
- Novelties

Assessment and permitted materials

- careful reading and active discussion of the literature
- questions in the Moodle platform
- active discussion in the Moodle platform
- (co-)chairing group discussion in the class
- final essay

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria:

- active participation (20%),
- questions and online discussion of readings (20%),
- (co-)chairing a class (10%),
- final essay (50%).

All aforementioned components of the course have to be fulfilled for the successful completion of the grade.

One unexcused absence is permitted.

Grading table
1 – (excellent) 90 – 100 points
2 – (good) 81 – 89 points
3 – (satisfactory) 71 – 80 points
4 – (sufficient) 61 – 70 points
5 – (insufficient) 0 – 60 points

Examination topics

The course has a final essay in English, to be submitted after the course. The instructions are given in the syllabus (Moodle), and in the class.

Reading list

Bihan, Soazig Le. 2016. “Enlightening Falsehoods: A Modal View of Scientic Understanding.” In Explaining Understanding. Routledge.

Bokulich, Alisa. 2014. “How the Tiger Bush Got Its Stripes: ‘How Possibly’ vs. ‘How Actually’ Model Explanations.” The Monist 97 (3): 321–38. https://doi.org/10.5840/monist201497321.

Brumfiel, Geoff. 2006. “Our Universe: Outrageous Fortune.” Nature 439 (7072): 10–13.

Calcott, Brett, Arnon Levy, Mark L. Siegal, Orkun S. Soyer, and Andreas Wagner. 2015. “Engineering and Biology: Counsel for a Continued Relationship.” Biological Theory 10 (1): 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13752-014-0198-3.

Elowitz, Michael, and Wendell A. Lim. 2010. “Build Life to Understand It.” Nature 468 (7326): 889–90. https://doi.org/10.1038/468889a.

Felin, Teppo, Stuart Kauffman, Roger Koppl, and Giuseppe Longo. 2014. “Economic Opportunity and Evolution: Beyond Landscapes and Bounded Rationality.” Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal 8 (4): 269–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1184.

Koskinen, Rami. 2019. “Multiple Realizability and Biological Modality.” Philosophy of Science 86 (5): 1123–33. https://doi.org/10.1086/705478.

Lewis, David. 2001. On the Plurality of Worlds. Wiley (some selected parts).

Montévil, Maël. 2019. “Possibility Spaces and the Notion of Novelty: From Music to Biology.” Synthese 196 (11): 4555–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-017-1668-5.

Shen-Orr, Shai S., Ron Milo, Shmoolik Mangan, and Uri Alon. 2002. “Network Motifs in the Transcriptional Regulation Network of Escherichia Coli.” Nature Genetics 31 (1): 64–68. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng881.

Wagner, Andreas. 2011. “Genotype Networks Shed Light on Evolutionary Constraints.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26 (11): 577–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2011.07.001.

Wagner, Andreas, and William Rosen. 2014. “Spaces of the Possible: Universal Darwinism and the Wall between Technological and Biological Innovation.” Journal of The Royal Society Interface 11 (97): 20131190. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2013.1190.

Williamson, Timothy. 2018. “Spaces of Possibility.” Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements 82 (July): 189–204. https://doi.org/10.1017/S135824611800019X.

Wirling, Ylwa Sjölin, and Till Grüne-Yanoff. 2021. “Epistemic and Objective Possibility in Science.” The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, August. https://doi.org/10.1086/716925.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 11.05.2023 11:27