Middlebury

PHIL0214A-F24

Science and Society

Science and Society
Science is not developed in a vacuum. Social circumstances influence the practice of science and in turn, science shapes how we organize ourselves as a society. We will investigate both directions of this relationship, asking such questions as: how do the values of society drive scientific research? What does it mean for science to be understood as objective? And how can socially and politically influenced scientific work be trusted? Drawing on the work of philosophers of science and interdisciplinary science studies scholars we will investigate what makes science such a powerful method of understanding the world, and how social and political pressures play a role in shaping and applying that understanding. We will also investigate the challenges of developing public trust in science by focusing on examples of socially significant scientific research such as climate science and research related to the Covid pandemic. 3 hrs. lect.
Course Reference Number (CRN):
92596
Subject Code:
PHIL
Course Number:
0214
Section Identifier:
A

Course

PHIL 0214

All Sections in Fall 2024

Fall 2024

PHIL0214A-F24 Lecture (Grasswick)