Programme

The course will focus on the role of the methodology and epistemology of science in clarifying the problem of the relationship between science and democracy. On the one hand, as a consequence of the progressive specialization of scientific knowledge our democratic societies must rely more and more on the knowledge of the experts. On the other, especially in the still obscure areas of scientific research, the experts are often in disagreement, a fact that in the public at large creates mistrust in science, which is in any case the most reliable form of knowledge. In order to avoid that democracies degenerate into “technocracies”, where the few decide for all, the citizens must be granted the possibility for autonomous decisions. In the second part of the class, we will try to describe the process of generation and quick diffusion of false beliefs by a reconsideration of the problem of demarcating science from pseudoscience

Core Documentation

Boghossian P. Fear of knowledge
Dorato : Science and representative democracy
O’Connor C. Weatherall J., The age of misinformation

Reference Bibliography

O'Connor Weatherall J. The age of disinformation

Type of delivery of the course

Frontal lectures and short presentations of the students

Attendance

highly recommended attendance

Type of evaluation

Questions on topics presented in class (70% of the final grade). Brief students' presentation (30%)