Controversies & Revolutions | November 2022
Controversies & Revolutions: the Social Dimension of Science
The development of science has always been intertwined with politics; not only do scientific advancements have transformative political implications but the settlement of scientific controversies itself is often influenced by political, economical, and societal factors.
This course is about the cultural and social circumstances affecting the production and evaluation of scientific theories.
Week 1: Community factors in scientific research
- Kuhn, Objectivity, Value Judgment and Theory Choice (1977)
Week 2: Professional interests, political ideologies, and scientific judgments
- Shapin, The History of Science and Its Sociological Reconstructions (1982)
Week 3: The value of science: between scientism and cynicism
- Haack, Science as Social? - Yes and No (1996), Six Signs of Scientism (2012)
Refund policy:
If you don't like what we do, we will give you a full refund. No questions asked.
Who we are:
I've been giving these online courses since June 2020. To date, I've had over 750 participants from around the world. If you want to read a detailed review of what the courses are like, check out what Anthony Smyrski wrote in one of his newsletter dispatches at the following link.
Thank you!
Website:
Instructors:
The course will be taught by Philippe:
- Philippe Caponis (@philippecaponis): Philippe holds an MS in Physics and an MA in Philosophy from the University of Paris. He taught philosophy at the American University of Beirut and Lebanese American University. He is interested in better understanding how scientific theories illuminate (and often reshape) philosophical debates about the nature of space and time, identity and material constitution.
Here’s a talk by Philippe titled: Three Philosophical Lessons from Modern Physics:
Co-host:
- Mahmoud Rasmi (@decafquest): finished his Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Salamanca Spain. Between 2013 and 2020, he taught philosophy and cultural studies at the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University. Now, he has decided to venture into the virtual world in order to give affordable classes online to people who are interested in studying philosophy in a non-academic setting.
Here’s a sample class on Stoicism from an Introduction to Philosophy online course:
Dates and Schedule:
- 3 weeks, once a week, 2 hrs per session.
- The course will start on Tuesday, November 8, and will end on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.
- Course Schedule: Tuesdays at 7 PM CET time (Central European Time).
- Synchronous online course via Zoom.
- Asynchronous: if you can't attend, you will have the option to watch the recorded lectures.
- Price: USD50$
- Capacity: 35 seats
Important information:
You will receive the link to the sessions a few days before the course starts.
Since we are not an institution, you will not be able to claim credits for the course. Many of you might also already be busy with your jobs and daily routine; as a result, we won’t be assigning any homework, exams, or papers. However, if any of you wishes to be assessed on the course material covered, we can arrange for the proper method and format in private.
The sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the DecafQuest YouTube channel as hidden. The links will be made available to those registered.
Testimonials:
A pdf including course details.