Introductory Philosophy of Science

Essay Guidelines
Essay
For your essay, pick one of the following topics: Topic 1
– Economics is not science, because it cannot undertake repeatable experiments.
– You ignore an emerging body of work, some by prominent Nobel Prize winners,
that is transforming economics into a field firmly grounded in fact.
Topic 2
– String theory is not science but metaphysics, as it is clearly not testable at present
or in any foreseeable future.
– The mere lack of immediate testability is no reason to cast a theory as unscientific.
Topic 3
– Astrology is not science as its claims are too vague to be falsifiable.
– If that is so, then how come we also say that it has been tested in the 1980s and
shown to be false?
Topic 4
– Intelligent design is not science but a quasi-religious dogma because it is not
observable or testable.
– In that case, evolution is not science either because it too cannot be tested.
Formulate your own thesis, which should indicate either agreement or disagreement with
one of the sides of the debate. Clearly state your own position. At minimum, do you agree
or disagree with one of the opposing sides? It is also possible to advance a more nuanced
position. Do you think that both sides are partially correct, but miss some important
points? Do you think one of the sides is correct, but perhaps their position requires an
important alteration or clarification?
Once, you have formulated your thesis, provide arguments to support your position. You
can use both historical and logical arguments to back up your answer. If you feel that the
positions of the two sides call for a clarification, clarify them, but remember that the key
ingredient of your essay is your arguments. The more convincing are the arguments the
better. Whether you present a particular historical episode or discuss a highly abstract
logical point, make sure that your line of reasoning actually supports your position.
Obviously, the more original is the argument, the better. This is the best way to convince
your reader that you have mastered the topic and have your own thoughts about it.
Essay Guidelines 2
HPS250H1 2019F: Introductory Philosophy of Science
Peer Reviews
A good review will have both in-text comments and a helpful summary in the provided
boxes. When reviewing your peers’ essays, indicate what you liked and what you disliked
in the essay. Try to answer the following questions: Is the thesis statement of the essay
clearly formulated? Are the supporting logical arguments and historical examples valid
and sound, i.e. do they support the thesis of the essay? Are there any hidden premises that
the fellow student failed to state openly? What would you change in the essay?
Try to give useful advice. Avoid generic comments, such as “Good job. Great essay!” or “I
disagree with everything you say”. Instead, try to be specific. For instance: “Your second
argument doesn’t seem to support your conclusion, since statement A doesn’t logically
follow from statements B and C” or “The example in your first argument doesn’t illustrate
the point you are making”.
Although you don’t have to include spelling/grammar corrections in your peer reviews, it
is always good form to point them out when you notice them.
Logistics
Stage 1: Submit the draft version of your essay to peerScholar, that can be launched by
locating the Draft Essay and Peer Review assignment on quercus. Your essay draft will be
reviewed by your peers only. It will not be graded. If a proper draft is submitted, you
receive a 5% participation mark.
Stage 2: Review five randomly chosen essays of your peers and submit your reviews to
peerScholar. Your reviews will be graded by the TAs and will count towards 10% of your
final grade. You won’t be allowed to peer-review if you have not submitted a draft essay.
Stage 3: Study the reviews from your peers and prepare the final version of your paper. To
submit it, locate the Final Essay assignment on quercus. The final version will be graded by
the TAs and will count towards 20% of your final grade. Note that your final essay will be
accepted even if you haven’t submitted a draft essay.
Please, do not email your essays and do not submit hard copies. Submit your draft and
peer reviews to Draft Essay and Peer Review and your final essay to Final Essay on quercus.
Note that your final essay will only be graded if submitted to Final Essay.
Essay Guidelines 3
HPS250H1 2019F: Introductory Philosophy of Science
Assignment Schedule
Stage Due Date PeerReviewed TA Graded Worth
Draft Essay
a short critical response to
a chosen statement
(min 1000 words)
Nov 7 Yes No
5%
(participation
grade)
Peer Reviews
of five randomly chosen
draft essays
(min 1000 words in total)
Nov 22 No Yes 10%
Final Essay
modified by taking into
account the reviews
(min 1500 words)
Dec 4 No Yes 20%
All the deadlines are end-of-day (11:59pm) deadlines.
Please also note that only the lower word limits are strict. While there are no upper limits,
please respect your peers and TAs and avoid submitting essays that are longer than 4000
words.
Normally, you will have to review five randomly chosen drafts, where the recommended
minimum word count per one review is 200 words (5 essays x 200 words = 1000 words). It
may happen that, for some reason, you receive fewer than five completed drafts to review.
In this scenario, please keep in mind the overall minimum word count of the assignment
(1000 words) and adjust accordingly. For example, if you receive only four viable draft
essays, the recommended minimum word count per one review is 250 words (4 essays x
250 words = 1000 words). It is the overall word count that matters. Remember that all
minimum word counts include both comments written in the boxes and in-text comments.
Essay Guidelines 4
HPS250H1 2019F: Introductory Philosophy of Science
Academic Integrity
We are committed to the values of independent inquiry and to the free and open exchange
of ideas. It is instrumental to know what academic integrity is and what qualifies as
academic misconduct. The following links might be helpful:
• the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters: http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/osai/code;
• the Students section of the Office of Student Academic Integrity (OSAI) website:
http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/osai/students.
Attempts to trick the system by submitting very short or empty drafts as well as drafts that
contain random text will be treated very strictly. Please keep in mind that submitting
something that cannot be properly reviewed by your peers is an academic offense and,
thus, punishable; please, don’t do that!
Once you submit the final version of your essay to quercus, it will be sent for a review of
textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism by Turnitin. In doing so, you will
allow your essay to be included as source documents in the Turnitin reference database,
where it will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to
the University’s use of the Turnitin service are described at www.turnitin.com.
Format, Bibliography, Citations, and Style
Make sure you structure your paper in a form of an essay. Even if you are writing a letter,
it should have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. It should also include a
clear statement of the problem, your position, and your supporting reasons.
There are no restrictions as to what literature can be used, but minimal requirements. You
are allowed to use required readings, supplementary readings, or other sources. The only
requirement is that the material should be immediately related to the problem under
scrutiny. Stay away from citing sources just for the sake of citing – more is not always
better. A very good paper can have only one or two sources. Also, avoid paragraph-long
quotations – try to say it in your own words (but don’t forget to insert a reference –
otherwise it would be plagiarism). If you need to quote or cite something, do it. But keep in
mind that the focus of your essay should be on your understanding of the topic. If you
include too much quotation, you will crowd out your own ideas.
When citing something from the lectures, no references are necessary unless you quote
something word-by-word. In the latter case, make sure you mention the source which
includes the name of the instructor, name of the course, year, and lecture number. The
actual format will, of course, depend on the style you are using.
Essay Guidelines 5
HPS250H1 2019F: Introductory Philosophy of Science
Any of the standard styles is acceptable (MLA, APA, etc.). The only requirement is
consistency: once you have chosen a style, stick to it. See
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/documentation for details. There
are no formatting restrictions concerning drafts and peer reviews.
Write and edit your essay in a proper text editor (MS Word, LaTeX, Google Docs, etc.) and
do not rely on peerScholar’s internal editor. When ready, just copy and paste the text into
peerScholar’s editor.
For word limits, see the table above.
Anonymity
To ensure anonymity of the peer-review process, please do not mention your name or
student number anywhere in the text of your draft essay.
Importantly, this doesn’t apply to the final version of your paper. The final version must
include your name and your student number.
Please also include the topic number in both draft and final versions of your paper.
Late Policy and Extensions
Since the time gaps between successive deadlines are very short, late submissions will not
be accepted except for the final version of the essay. Late final essays will be penalized at
the rate of 2 marks per day. E.g. if an essay deserved a 16/20, and was handed it in one day
late, it will get a 14/20. No final essay will be accepted more than a week after the
deadline.
Please note that you are responsible for ensuring that you maintain regular backup copies
of your files, use antivirus software (if using your own computer), and schedule enough
time when completing an assignment to allow for delays due to technical difficulties.
Computer viruses, crashed hard drives, broken printers, lost or corrupted files,
incompatible file formats, and similar mishaps are common issues when using technology,
and are not acceptable grounds for a deadline extension.
A note from the UofT Medical Services confirming an extended period of illness can give
you at most an extension of 5 business days. Again, this only applies to the final version of
the essay. No late drafts or peer reviews can be accepted for logistic reasons.
Essay Guidelines 6
HPS250H1 2019F: Introductory Philosophy of Science
Marking
To get a perfect mark for your draft essay, you need to make sure your essay is written on
one of the assigned topics and meets the minimum word requirements.
The peer reviews and essays are marked using a few criteria, weighted differently: proper
length, accuracy, attention to your peers’ arguments, clarity & tone, and constructive
criticism. Peer reviews and final essay are graded as most assignments are graded in the
humanities; that is, an 85% is equivalent to a 4.0 GPA, so marks above an 80% are only
given to exceptionally superb assignments and are very rare. To be considered for a high
mark, your essay must show not only the excellent knowledge of the course material but
also the mastery of the literature on the topic. Note that the best essays show a good
understanding of both the required readings, the supplementary readings, and engage with
some other external sources; merely using the lecture material is not sufficient for a good
mark, just as the mere citation of additional sources doesn’t guarantee a good mark.
For all three stages of the assignment, there is a penalty for not meeting the minimum word
count. There is no penalty for exceeding the word limits.
Questions
If you couldn’t find an answer to your question in this document, please, feel free to ask!

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