Science and Ethics | Dominican University College

The morality of science has been a debated topic at least since the emergence of modern science. This course examines scientific discourse and practice as presented by philosophy of science. After a survey of some of the main approaches to the justification of scientific theories, such as confirmationism and falsificationism, Thomas Kuhn’s model of scientific revolution, and Paul Feyerabend’s anarchistic position, we will look at the history of scientific ideas, notably through the study of Michel Foucault’s, The Order of Things. We will then explore the intersection of values and ethics to consider the old cliché that “science is fundamentally a-moral” through the study of various cases provided by the professor and the students, such as human experimentation, animal experimentation, stem-cell research, pharmaco-centrism, environmental responsibility and many others. Finally, we will explore research ethics and research ethics bodies in Canada.

Credits: 
3
Language: 
English
Faculty: 
Philosophy
Professor Name: 
Gaston LeNotre
Semester: 
Winter
Time: 
Tuesday, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Room Number: 
219
Academic Year: 
2018-19
Level: 
Undergraduate
Course Code: 
DPHY 2690
Program: 
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with a minor in Ethics
Bachelor of Arts with a Concentration in Philosophy
Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Philosophy and in Theology
Bachelor of Arts, major in Philosophy & minor in Theology
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy with a minor in Ethics
Certificate in Philosophy