D. Ganson (Philosophy)
4 HU,W-INT
Full Course -- 4 Credits
Fall Semester FYSP 190-01 TR 11:00-12:15
Science is often hailed as a paragon of rational and objective inquiry, a rigorous way of seeking knowledge that can overcome the potentially distorting influence of social, political, and moral values and help us get closer to truly comprehending the hidden operations of nature. In this course we will examine the extent to which this idealization offers an appropriate interpretation of scientific practice. Drawing from philosophical, scientific, and popular works on such topics as alien abductions, astrology, Freudian psychoanalysis, and neo-creationist Intelligent Design theory, we will begin by thinking about what is genuinely distinctive about a scientific approach to understanding the world. What distinguishes science from pseudo-science or non-science, and do these features justify the privileged status accorded to science? We shall then consider whether value neutrality is or should be a hallmark of acceptable scientific work. Do methods and results in respected research ever reflect the social and political values of advantaged groups along the lines of race, gender, class, and the like? Is there an urgent need for work that overtly reflects alternative values? By examining the perspectives of iconoclastic philosophers such as Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, and Richard Rorty, we will also look at challenges to the claim that science is a distinctively rational enterprise, aimed at revealing the truth. Is truth a legitimate goal for science?