Consideration of the impacts of science and technology on humanity from a philosophical perspective. Topics often include genetic engineering, automated labor, advanced weaponry, artificial intelligence, social media and data extraction, space exploration, alien contact, virtual realities, transhumanism, and the future of humanity as an interplanetary species.
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Equivalent(s): PHIL 424H
Attributes: Environment,Tech&Society(Disc)
Additional Course Details:
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.