Virtually every aspect of daily life is mediated by scientific discoveries and technical artifacts. In this course, we will examine two related issues: First, the ways in which scientific-technical community is itself a society and governed by certain principles. We will discuss issues such as the nature of science and technology and the responsibility scientists and engineers have to their own communities and to the broader society. Second, the ways that science and technology influence the larger society. The latter will involve debating the impact of technoscience on public policy and our personal lives.

This course is on philosophy and literature, in two ways: One, we will read literature that contains philosophical themes. We will discuss stories about a variety of subjects like personal identity, the nature of faith, sharing others’ experiences, equality, what is morally right, and others. Two, we will read philosophical texts about literature itself. We will raise questions like: Why do we get emotionally involved in fictional people’s lives? Who determines the story’s meaning? Can literature make us better people?