Science and Culture

Catalog description

This course will examine philosophical questions that arise at the intersection of scientific understanding and everyday ways of living. Looking at the cultural, ethical, political, and social dimensions of various sciences, and reading across multiple genres, we will explore a variety of arenas where scientific knowledge and technological development have transformed human experience (including experience with the non-human world), and, conversely, arenas where reflection and insight are necessary to confront and navigate conundrums of meaning, value, and action presented by scientific endeavors. Potential topics might include: the roles of scientific, political, and ethical reasoning in considerations of public health; human/non-human animal relations; climate change and collective agency; the impact of new media and communication technologies on the boundary between public and private; the social transmission of (mis-)information; and the significance of social identity for scientific investigation. IIB. PA-3B, SI-03. CAS-B.