Event Timeslots (1)
Block
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This course is taught en bloc. For dates and times, please see the entry on eCampus. Academic freedom is a fundamental right protected by German law that safeguards the freedom of research and teaching at universities and scientific institutions and forms the foundation of an open and democratic society. On the other hand, scientific inquiry is embedded in and can be influenced by cultural, political, economic, and historical contexts and background knowledge. In this seminar, we will explore the tension between the aims of evidence-based scientific inquiry and politicized societal processes. How does science interact with society, and how are our current democratic structures influenced by these tensions? In three block seminars, we will use literature presenting opposing views on topics such as the use of AI in science and society, agnotology, epistemic bubbles, bad beliefs, forbidden knowledge, nudging, scientific imperialism and colonialism, (effective) Altruism, and epistocracy, and examine their role in benefiting humanity in order to develop our own cogent arguments.
The block seminars will be at Wasserstr. 221, 4th floor on Saturday, November 14th, Saturday, January 16th, and Saturday February 6th. We will coordinate the distribution of students' presentations online between October 14th-21st for students who have enrolled in the course.