Science & Democracy
Science and Democracy: Philosophical Perspectives The scientific method has been heralded as inherently democratic, based as it is on observation rather than authority. Yet the relationship between science and democracy is much more complex: what happens to our own relationship to democracy when we find ourselves needing to rely on expert scientific knowledge to make informed decisions? In this course we will explore the work of philosophers and science studies scholars to help us understand the many challenges of integrating science and democracy. We will consider what might be required for scientific and technological research to be objective, trustworthy, just, and able to serve the needs of a diverse society well, and we will examine challenges such as the commercialization and politicization of science. Topics such as climate change, health policy, medical research, AI, and food safety will help frame our considerations of the appropriate role of science in developing sound public policy.
Science and Democracy: Philosophical Perspectives The scientific method has been heralded as inherently democratic, based as it is on observation rather than authority. Yet the relationship between science and democracy is much more complex: what happens to our own relationship to democracy when we find ourselves needing to rely on expert scientific knowledge to make informed decisions? In this course we will explore the work of philosophers and science studies scholars to help us understand the many challenges of integrating science and democracy. We will consider what might be required for s …Read more
This course was extremely repetitive. There were constant readings outside of the class that almost seemed as though they were assigned just to fill time. The course seemed interesting for about a week. After that, every week we brought up the same points in class and my interest in the class slowly dwindled down to the point where I heavily disliked the class.
This class was a lot of work for a first year seminar and the course material was repetitive. I didn't understand why we needed to do so many readings that didn't help with assignments. The reading was too much and the class was not enjoyable.