Introduction to the theory of measurement (2018 Fall)

• Instructor: Jun Otsuka (jotsuka@bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp)
• Class: Friday 9:00-10:15 at 1演
• Office hour: Tuesday 10:30-12:00 at L408, or by appointment.
• PandA: https://panda.ecs.kyoto-u.ac.jp/portal/site/2018-101-5131-005

Any scientific investigation must begin with measuring its objects. Measurement assigns numbers to things, but what does it mean and how is it possible? We can surely quantify length and weight, but also stress level or happiness in the same sense? If not, why? The concept of measurement lies at the center of various philosophical issues such as objectivity, representation, and meaningfulness. This seminar reads standard texts on the theory of measurement to explore its philosophical implications.

In this class, students will learn the basic concepts and issues concerning measurement as well as applications of formal ideas (i.e. symmetry and invariance) to philosophical questions.

Evaluation is based on presentation and participation to in-class discussion

We begin by reading some introductory texts:

• Suppes, P. (1988). Representation Theory and the Analysis of Structure. Philosophia Naturalis, 25, 254–268.
• Suppes, P., & Zinnes, J. L. (1963). Basic Measurement Theory. Handbook of Mathematical Psychology, Vol. 1, 1–76.
• Díez, J. (1997). A hundred years of numbers. An historical introduction to measurement theory 1887–1990. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 28(2), 237–265, – p.171.

Then we proceed to the main text:

• Narens, L. (2007). Introduction to the Theories of Measurement and Meaningfulness and the Use of Symmetry in Science. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

in particular Chaps. 2, 3, 7–10.

All reading materials will be posted on PandA: