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Fall2014 Borgmann

Philosophy 501

The World of Science and the World of Technology

(1) INTENT OF THE COURSE

The intent of the course is to provide students with a command of the standard views of science and technology and with an understanding of the deep structure of science and the deep structure technology and of the connections between these two structures.

The task, more particularly, is to connect two points Goethe made, the first in Faust (1788) where Faust, having given up on philosophy, has turned to magic

So I may learn the things that hold

The world together at its core,

So I may potencies and seeds behold

And trade in empty words no more.

The second is in WilhelmMeisters Wanderjahre (1821) where he has Susanne, who presides over a pre-industrial spinning and weaving business, say:

The overpowering rise of machinery pains and frightens me; it is rolling along

like a thunderstorm, slowly, slowly; but it has taken its direction, it will come and strike.

(2) TEXTS

Cox and Forshaw, The Quantum Universe, chs. 1-9.

Heidegger, The Bremen and Freiburg Lectures.

There will be three parts to the course:

  1. The first two weeks will be devoted to a brief survey of the standard philosophical views of science and technology.
  2. In the subsequent six weeks, we will discuss Cox and Forshaw’s chs. 1-5 carefully and chs. 6-9 more briefly to get a grip on the most basic understanding of reality—to see how metaphysics and magic have been succeeded by physics and how physics has informed technology.
  3. In the remaining six weeks, we will, in responding to Heidegger’s lectures, draw our conclusions as to what an incisive and comprehensive view of science and technology may look like.

(3) REQUIREMENTS

a. Classroom Participation (one third of course grade)

It will be your obligation to show through participation in the classroom discussions that you are keeping up with the reading assignments and are in command of the material presented in class. In particular, everyone is to take careful notes and, when called on, to present, on the basis of those notes, a ten-minute summary of the preceding session’s main points. It will be my obligation to make everyone feel welcome and encouraged to participate.

b. In-Class Examinations (one third of course grade)

There will be three in-class examinations on September 23, October 28, and on the day of the final, Wednesday, December 10, at 10:10 am. Each exam will count for a ninth of the course grade and consist of four course content questions and one essay question on the course material of the preceding third of the semester.

Undergraduates’ exams will be graded less stringently than those of the graduate students.

  1. Term Paper (one third of course grade)

Pick a particular issue of common knowledge, prejudice, or ignorance in the fields of science and technology, e.g., global warming, evolution, the distribution of prosperity, the machinery of the Internet, the status of the arts, the structure of the economy, etc., and apply some of what we have learned about science and technology. I’ll be glad to help with the formulation of a topic.

The paper should be about 12 pp. long (3000 words), double-spaced, paginated, paper-clipped, the notes at the end of the paper; no outline or bibliography. Follow any of the standard styles and formats. The paper has to incorporate some secondary material, two or so articles, a book or two, or two or so chapters from a book. The emphasis of the paper, however, has to be on original reflection.

Undergraduates should write a paper of about eight pp. (2000 words). There is no expectation of research for the paper on the part of undergraduates.

Outline due: November 6.

Paper due: December 2.

(5) NOTE

Office Hours: TWR, 11 AM till 12 noon and by appointment.

Phone and messages: 243-2792

E-mail:

If you have a disability, please let me know so that we can provide accommodations.