| ISF
60 |
Science,
Technology, and Values in the Global Arena:
Living Longer, Living Better? |
At
the heart of this course lies the inquiry into a) the correlation
between our scientific mode of thinking, our modern technological
means, and our societal values, and b) how this corrrelation has
and will continue to impact the course of human history.
The inquiry takes place on three distinct levels:
I.
Core Questions of Course (Macro Level)
This initial,
most universal level of inquiry focuses on providing students with
answers to the following five general questions:
1.
Can science and technology help resolve the global challenges of
the 21st century?
2.
To what extent have science and technology themselves become a part
of these challenges?
3.
What is progress, and what role do science, technology and values
play in the pursuit of progress?
4.
Could the right set of values help prolong (human) life on Earth?
5.
If so, what is the right set of values, and how does it relate to
modern scientific methods and the constantly evolving technologies?
II. Core Questions for Student Analysis (Medium Level)
Our
examination of the course readings concentrates on a second set
of more specific questions. When preparing for the lectures and
exams, as well as when writing the requested summary papers, students
are expected to proceed in a way that provides answers to the following
six core questions:
1.
Does the author view science and technology as something "good"
or rather something "bad"?
2. How does the author arrive at this value judgment?
3. In what direction, according to the author, are science and technology
leading human society?
4. According to the author, what, if any, are the ethical responsibilities
of a scientist/researcher?
5.
What (if any) moral principles does the author put forth?
6. Do you agree or disagree with the author? Why?
All
student analyses of the course readings are posted below (see "Reading
Summaries").
III. Questions relating to Theoretical Comprehension (Micro
Level)
Finally, a third set of reading specific questions will be addressed
by the instructor in each of his lectures. These questions focus
on providing students with a solid interdisciplinary understanding
of the readings and the larger socio-political context in which
they have been written. The Instructor's analyses can also be found
below (see "Lecture Summaries").
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture
Summaries (by Dr. Urs Cipolat)
Note: The publication or duplication of these power point presentations
for any use is not allowed without the author's prior authorization.
Introduction / Rudi
Volti, "Society and Technological Change"
Martin Rees, "Our Final Hour": Part 1 / Part 2
Gregg
Easterbrook, "The Progress Paradox" (Chs. 1-3, 11, 12)
Warren
Wagar, "The Idea of Progress since the Renaissance" and Charles Van Doren, "The Idea of Progress"
Richard
Norgaard, "Development Betrayed": Chs. 5-6 / Chs. 1-5
Ian Barbour, "Ethics in an Age of Technology" (Chapters 1-3)
Friedrich Nietzsche, "The Genealogy of Morals" and "The
Twilight of the Idols"
Carl
Sagan, "The Demon-Haunted World" (Ch. 1, 2, 16)
Martin
Heidegger, "The Thing" and "Technique and the Turn"
Max
Weber, "Science as a Vocation"
Bruno Latour, "Postmodern? No, Simply Amodern!" and "Drawing Things Together"
Midterm
Review Analytical Framework (Summary of main concepts and their
evolution over time)
Prof. Raymond Jeanloz, "WMDs and the Responsibility of Scientists"
Stephanie Lin, "City of the Future" presentation
Brooking Gatewood, "Global Footprint Network" presentation
Other
Lectures (optional materials)
John
Leslie, "The End of the World": Part 1
/ Part 2
Overview
Wagar/Weber
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Student Summaries
Our
main findings regarding the questions listed above under II (medium
level of inquiry) will be put on this review page, in an effort
to facilitate exam preparations. Students, in groups of two or three
(composed by at least one science and one humanities major), will
summarize all class readings.
All summaries must address the questions listed above under II.
Please email your draft summary as word attachment to Katie Farris.
Summaries are due by the end of the week the reading was assigned
for (Friday evening), and should not exceed 5 pages (single-spaced).
You may be asked to revise your paper (which will be negatively reflected in your transcript.
a)
Midterm Exam (click on link to review a nearly perfect midterm
exam from a previous year)
Rudi Volti, "Society and Technological Change"
Martin Rees, "Our Final Hour" (Prologue, Chapters 1-6)
(Optional: articles about brain differences, preventing asteroid
impact and life
on Mars)
Martin
Rees, "Our Final Hour" (Chapters 7-13, Epilogue)
(Optional:
articles on dark matter
measurements and dark
energy)
Ian Barbour, "Ethics in an Age of Technology" (Chapters 5, 7)
Gregg
Easterbrook, "The Progress Paradox" (Chapters 1-3, 11-12)
(Optional:
article on decline
of US scientific advances; article that challenges Easterbrook's "inequality no more" thesis)
Charles Van Doren, "The Idea of Progress"
Warren
Wagar, "The Idea of Progress since the Renaissance"
Richard
Norgaard, "Development Betrayed" (Chapters 1-4, 5-6)
Ian Barbour, "Ethics in an Age of Technology" (Chapters 1-3)
Friedrich
Nietzsche, "The Genealogy of Moral" - Essay 2
Carl
Sagan, "The Demon-Haunted World"
Martin
Heidegger, "The Thing"
Martin
Heidegger, "Technique and the Turn"
(Optional:
article on global
warming)
Max
Weber, "Science as a Vocation"
Bruno Latour, "Postmodern? No, Simply Amodern!" and "Drawing Things Together"
Student Group Power Point Presentations (required)
Global Warming
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Waste
Renewable Energy
Biofuels
- Biofuels article (required)
Vegetarianism
Nuclear Weapons
Space Weaponization
Brain Enhancement
Artificial Intelligence
From RFIDs to Androids
Genetic Engineering
Cloning
Designer Babies
Other
Student Summaries (optional materials)
John
Leslie, "The End of the World" (Preface, Introduction,
Chapter 1)
(Optional:
article on global
warming and climate
change policies)
John
Leslie, "The End of the World" (Chapters 2, 4)
(Optional:
articles on hydrogen
economy and hydrogen
reactor)
Michel
Foucault, "On
the Genealogy of Ethics"
Jared
Diamond, "Guns,
Germs and Steel" (Preface, Prologue, Chapters 3, 4, 13,
14)
Jared
Diamond, "Guns,
Germs and Steel" (Chapters 15-19, Epilogue)
b) Final Exam => Required: download the review handout on "Ethical Principles", and consult the summary overview of ethical principles from a previous year.
Nuclear Weapons: Movie “The Day after Trinity” – J.R. Oppenheimer (required)
Required: Student ppt presentations on Nuclear Weapons and Space Weaponization.
(Optional: articles on new nukes, space weaponization, and missile defense)
(Optional: Prof. Cipolat's April 2005 talk on nuclear weapons.)
(Optional: articles on impact of chronic radiation, bunker busters)
(Optional: article about Hans Bethe, US public opinion re nuclear weapons, US nuclear weapons policy, Whistleblower Vanunu)
Genetic Engineering/Bioethics: Movie “DNA – Playing God" (required)
(Optional: articles on stem cell research and cloning and embryos)
(Optional: article about pet cloning)
Genetic Engineering/Bioethics (Dr. Marcy Darnovsky, Center for Genetics & Society)
Required: Student summary of Darnovsky's "Sex Selection Revisited"; Darnovsky's Presentation on "Bio-Ethics or Bio-Politics".
Required: Student ppt presentations on Genetic Engineering, Cloning and Designer Babies.
(Optional: articles about the bioethics panel and the new stem cell guidelines (1 / 2), released in April 2005)
(Optional: Chapters 1 and 2 of the Report of President Bush's Council on Bioethics)
Clean Energy (Stephanie Lin)
Required: Stephanie Lin's ppt presentation on "City of the Future" and Student ppt presentations on Biofuels and Renewable Energy.
(Optional: article on nuclear energy vs. fossile fuel energy; articles about March 2005 UN Report on the condition of Planet Earth - 1 / 2)
Climate Change
Required: Brooking Gatewood's ppt presentation on "The Global Footprint Network" and Dr. William Riley's ppt presentation on "Climate Change", plus student ppt presentations on Global Warming and Vegetarianism.
(Optional: articles about energy outlook 2025, pollution, global warming, flooding, and CO2 storage)
Nuclear Energy and Waste (Thomas Roddey)
Required: Thomas Roddey's presentation and student ppt presentations on Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Waste.
(Optional: articles on scientists' warning about Yucca Mountain, general safety concerns related to nuclear power plants, cold fusion 1 and 2, fuel cells, how to dispose of nuclear waste, upward trends in nuclear energy procurement, pro-nuclear power arguments, and nuclear waste problems.)
Computer Science
Required: Student ppt presentation on Artificial Intelligence and Brain Enhancement.
(Optional: articles about computer voting and brain implants)
Previous guest lecturers (all optional):
- Dr.
David
Krieger, "The Responsibility of Scientists and the University
of California to Help Eliminate Nuclear Weapons" (see ISF60
Home Page for video and transcript of Dr. Krieger's presentation)
- Dr.
Bruce Ames, "Science
in the Service of Humankind: The Struggle against Poor Health
and Cancer"
Part
I / Part II
/ Part III (Optional:
articles on demonizing fat
and prohibition
to test for BSE)
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