Mindful Reading Assignments (MRAs) are short essay prompts broken into two parts:
First, you must write a paragraph or two carrying out one of the following tasks:
Identification: Identify what the ethical conflict is in a particular case presented in a reading.
Explication: Articulate an argument, theoretical principle, or the main outlines of a theory
presented in a reading.
Definition: Define a concept presented in a reading.
Evaluation: Briefly evaluate an argument presented in a reading. Application: Apply a
theoretical concept or principle presented in a reading.
Second, you must develop a specific, informative question about a reading. Ask a
question that is actually a meaningful question. Make sure that it’s not just some basic
comprehension question that can be answered by reading the text. It must be a serious
request for further expansion or clarification.
This week:
1. Read:
Confirmation
Philosophy of Science – J.A. Cover and Martin Curd (attached)
a) “Science: Conjectures and Refutations” – Karl Popper
b) “The Problem of Induction” – Karl Popper
Explanation
c) “The Value of Laws: Explanation and Prediction” – Rudolf Carnap
d) “Two Basic Types of Scientific Explanation” – Carl Hempel
2. Task: Explain one of the arguments from the readings as clearly and exactly as
possible in your own words.
3. Question: Develop a question about something from the readings. Is there a concept
that you don’t quite get? Does something need to be clarified? Have you tried to apply a
concept to your own observations and found it confusing?
