Philosophy of Social Sciences

Compulsory for 1st year PhD students (35° Cycle)

Class schedule and room

The class will meet in the following days in the room PhD-LAB aula 3 - via Lombardini 5, Forlì

• November 12 from 10 am to 1 pm and from 2pm to 5 pm,
• November 13 from 2 pm to 5 pm
• November 19 from 10 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 5 pm
• November 20 from 10 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 4 pm

Main topics and readings

1. Foundational issues in the science of institutions.

Readings

- Francesco Guala. 2016. Understanding Institutions. The Science and Philosophy of Living

Together. Chapters 1-6: pp. 3-85

2. Methodological toolkit for studying institutions.

Readings

- Cristina Bicchieri. 2006. The Grammar of Society. The Nature and Dynamics of Social

Norms. Chapter 2: pp. 55-99

3. Case study 1: The game of trust.

Readings

- Gloria Origgi. 2004. Is Trust an Epistemological Notion? Episteme, 1(1):61-72.

- Patrick Bateson. 2008. The biological evolution of cooperation and trust. In Diego Gambetta

(ed.) Trust. Making and Breaking Cooperative Relations. Blackwell: pp. 14-30

4. Case study 2: Problems of expertise.

Readings

- Stephen Turner. 2001. What is the Problem with Experts? Social Studies of Science,

31(1):123-149.

- Martini, Carlo. In Print. The Epistemology of Expertise. In: Miranda Fricker, Peter J.

Graham, David Henderson and Nikolaj J.L.L. Pedersen (eds.). Routledge Handbook of

Social Epistemology. Routledge: pp. 115-122